March 17, 2014

DOE DOCUMENTS RAISE NEW CONCERNS OVER BECHTEL’S PERFORMANCE AT WTP

By ExchangeMonitor

Recently prepared Department of Energy documents obtained by WC Monitor raise new concerns over aspects of Bechtel National’s performance at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. In a letter and report issued in mid-July, DOE issued Bechtel National a “Priority Level 1” finding regarding concerns over Bechtel National’s procurement program for WTP components. The July 16 letter marks the fifth time this year that DOE has issued a “Priority Level 1” finding against Bechtel National, according to Carrie Meyer, a spokeswoman for the DOE Office of River Protection. “The Department works closely with its contractors to identify areas for improvement, and in this instance has directed the contractor to prepare a comprehensive correction action plan addressing these findings. BNI continues to identify corrective actions,” Meyer said in a written response yesterday. According to the letter, an assessment of WTP vendor design submittals resulted in 20 findings, including:

Four instances where Bechtel National “did not adequately flow down technical requirements in subcontracts and material requisitions”;
Seven instances where Bechtel National “did not meet requirements for appropriate review of vendor calculations and submittals”;
Five instances where Bechtel National “failed to comply with configuration management and technical requirements”; and
Four instances where Bechtel National “failed to meet requirements regarding the appropriate handling of received vendor supplied equipment.”

The findings “demonstrate a lack of compliance with contract quality and technical requirements associated with BNI’s technical oversight of procured WTP structures, systems and components,” DOE said, adding, “These findings raise concerns regarding the adequacy of BNI technical oversight of procurement activities and the adequacy of procured items to meet design requirements.”

In late June, DOE issued Bechtel National a separate letter warning that information provided by Bechtel the contractor failed to “install confidence” that buried metal piping at the WTP can fulfill their intended functions over their intended life. DOE questioned the results of a set of 55 Holiday Test Inspection Records (HTIR) that have been performed on buried piping at the WTP since mid-2010. “Of those 55 HTIRs; 38 of the test records appear to be on pipelines that were being buried for the first time (i.e. never having been subjected to a corrosive environment) passed inspection, 10 of the tests failed due to coating/corrosion defects thus requiring repair, and 7 satisfactorily passed the inspection. The exhaustive list of test records for brand new pipe skews the data and misleads the reviewer into thinking that these results are representative of people that have been previously buried and subsequently subjected to a corrosive environment,” the letter says. DOE said the information provided by Bechtel National “has only substantiated the Department’s concerns that the capability of buried piping to last its intended life is in jeopardy,” adding, “It is concerning that BNI has communicated a level of confidence primarily based on the successful test of new pipe installation, which is irrelevant to the issue at hand.”

Bechtel National is working to address the concerns outlined in the DOE documents, according to spokesman Todd Nelson. “The Waste Treatment Plant is a construction project with the most exacting nuclear standards in the world. Ensuring that we communicate requirements effectively to subcontractors and that we properly maintain equipment and materials before they go into service is paramount to the future safe operation of the plant. We recently received letters from the Department of Energy involving vendor design submittals and cathodic protection of buried materials. We are committed to addressing all of their concerns and correcting any problems,” Nelson said in a written response yesterday.

Comments are closed.