The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration finished a key project to shrink the area inside the fence at the Y-12 National Security Complex at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee.
NNSA said Friday that the West End Protected Area Reduction (WEPAR) Project is expected to save $300 to $500 million through a reduction of Y-12’s high security area by 70 acres.
With moving these areas out of the high-security boundary, cleanup activities can operate with fewer clearance requirements, lowering operational costs, NNSA said in a June 26 press release.
Construction on the roughly $260-million project began in April 2021 under NNSA’s Y-12 Project Management Office and contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security. NNSA completed major construction at the Y-12 building earlier this year.
As part of the project, a new entry control facility was built, six new technological sectors were installed and three existing sectors of the Perimeter Intrusion Detection and Assessment System were restored. Critical security and operational infrastructure were updated throughout the process, NNSA said.
“WEPAR demonstrates NNSA’s continued commitment to building a faster, leaner, more capable enterprise,” NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams said. “By reducing our high-security footprint and standardizing technology across our sites, we’re driving down costs and clearing the path to accelerate production in support of President Trump’s priorities for a stronger nuclear deterrent.”