The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management said Tuesday crews from an Amentum-led contractor have finished important work to mitigate risk at the highly-contaminated 324 Building at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash.
Crews from Central Plateau Cleanup, a partnership that also includes Fluor and AtkinsRéalis, have finished stabilizing four hot cells at the 324 Building, DOE said in a Tuesday press release.
The stabilization work at Cells A, B, C and D started last year and involved grouting old equipment and debris, according to the release. In an effort to avoid the spread of contamination, the work crews also applied a fixative agent to the interior walls of the cells, a pipe trench and exhaust ventilation ducts. Workers used manipulators and the remote-operated crane system, DOE said.
Staff used a 324 Building mock-up facility to help prepare for the work, DOE said.
The 324 Building in Hanford’s 300 area operated from 1966 to 1996 and supported research on highly-radioactive materials, according to DOE.
“Workers postponed demolition operations in 2010 after discovering significant contamination under a portion of the building, which likely came from a previous spill of highly radioactive waste within the building,” according to a DOE website. Because the building is close to the Columbia River, removing the contamination and demolishing the building is a top priority for DOE, according to the website.
“Stabilization of these cells is a significant step in preparing the 324 Building for demolition,” said Kelly Ebert, director of the DOE Hanford Field Office Projects and Facilities Division, said in the release. “The project also further reduces risk to the environment, including the nearby Columbia River.”
The Tri-City Herald newspaper has editorialized against the Donald Trump administration’s budget request for Hanford, saying among other things, it does not do enough to address the long-term concerns about the 324 Building.
The White House requested $2.9 billion for Hanford cleanup but the House Appropriations Committee’s version of the Energy & Water funding bill calls for $2.8 billion. Both figures are less than the $3.1 billion enacted by Congress for fiscal 2026, although a local economic development group said the funding process is far from over.