DOE Schedules Site Tours of DUF Conversion Plants

The Department of Energy (DOE) this week scheduled site tours for companies considering competing for the contract to operate the Paducah, Ky., and Portsmouth, Ohio, depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) facilities.BWXT Conversion Services is contracted through fall 2016 to operate the plants that are processing over 700,000 metric tons of material stored at the two installations once used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. DOE last week issued a final request for proposals for the combined management contract for both plants. Proposals are due by Nov. 6 to the DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center, with the contract expected to be awarded in the second quarter of fiscal 2016.Tours of the Portsmouth facility are scheduled for 9:30 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Participants are asked to arrive no less than 15 minutes early at Building X-1100 at the conversion plant, 3930 U.S. Highway 23 S., Piketon, Ohio. Tours of the Paducah facility will begin at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1 p.m. at Building 1100 at 5509 Hobbs Road, Kevil, Ky. Each tour will last about two hours.Further details on the tours, including how to register, can be found here.