The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office said last week it has taken down a major 1960s era contaminated facility at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).
After three years of labor intensive work, crews directed by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) have dismantled Test Cell C at the Nevada site’s Area 25, according to a Sept. 30 press release.
The test cell was built in 1961 as one of six facilities built at what was formerly known as the Nevada Test Site to develop nuclear-powered engines for rockets. The cell held hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid hydrogen, DOE said in the release.
DOE’s cleanup contractor for the site, Navarro Research & Engineering, began planning the work in 2022 and asbestos abatement was needed before the actual demolition could take place, DOE said.
Early last year, crews used explosives to take down a 150,000-gallon water tank at the test cell facility, DOE said.
Navarro worked with subcontractor Clauss Construction on the Test Cell C remediation project, according to the DOE release. Because of the environmental work, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) prime contractor Mission Support & Test Services will have 420,000 pounds of stainless steel available to recycle.