UCOR Says It’s Saved $90 Million to Date
WC Monitor
10/17/2014
URS-CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the Department of Energy’s cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, says efficiencies and accelerated missions have saved the federal government about $90 million over the past three years. UCOR President Ken Rueter, who assumed the top position a few months ago, said he expect that total savings to reach $200 million by the time the company’s contract expires in 2020. “We’ve done $920 million of work to date for $830 million of funding,” Rueter said. The savings are not going straight into the contractor’s pocket. “It gives (DOE) dollars to reinvest into additional cleanup,” he said.
UCOR replaced Bechtel Jacobs Co. in August 2011 as DOE contractor. The emphasis has been on large demolition projects, including the inherited work on the K-25 plant that was completed early this year. The contractor plans to complete the demolition and cleanup of all gaseous diffusion facilities by the end of calendar year 2016 (with K-27 being the last of the five buildings). Following that, other demolition work on the horizon is Building K-1037, the Central Neutralization Facility, the TSCA Incinerator, old centrifuge test facility and the so-called Poplar Creek facilities. That work will open up more opportunities for industrial development at the Oak Ridge site, Rueter said. “Reindustrialization in my opinion has gone very well here,” he said. “I see some of the commercial clients … and see their presence growing in the parcels. I believe it can be a lot more — one by removing this environmental hazard that could potential concern potential clients and by making larger parcels available.”
