The cleanup contractor for the West Valley Demonstration Project in upstate New York picked up 80 percent, or $365,000, of the potential fee available in the latest Energy Department review period.
CH2M Hill BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) could have earned nearly $456,000 for the period between Aug. 30, 2017, through Feb. 28, 2018. That was a step up from the $300,000, or 66 percent, of the $456,000 available fee the contractor took home for the last review period from March 1, 2017, to Aug. 29, 2017.
CHBWV’s $542.3 million contract at West Valley started in 2011 and runs through March, 9, 2020. The contractor handles Phase 1 decommissioning at the former nuclear fuel reprocessing site, removing radioactive waste, contaminated equipment and related material from the 200-acre project.
In the most recent scorecard, CHBVW was rated “excellent” for safety, health and quality management; “very good” for both project management and business administration; and “good” on environmental and regulatory compliance.
The review said CHBWV met most of its performance goals and objectives, and cited no significant deficiencies or significant achievements during the period.
The scorecard noted CHBWV was issued a notice of violation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2017 for failure to submit a water withdrawal permit on time. The contractor also failed to perform its stack inspection of the Main Plant Process Building within the 2017 calendar year as planned.
The Energy Department said it was pleased the contractor’s improved safety numbers, as well as its attention to detail on inspection of the intermodal containers used to transport debris from the demolition of the West Valley Vitrification Facility. But improvement is needed in maintenance of spill response materials, the agency said.
CHBWV, though, had some “overoptimistic assumptions” on the rates for Vitrification Facility demolition, according to the scorecard. The agency also indicated it wanted to see more detail in the demolition readiness schedule for the Main Plant Process Building. Demolition of the processing building, one of the most contaminated structures at West Valley, should begin this year and take about 18 months to complete, the contractor has said.
The Energy Department was impressed by CHBWV’s commitment to cybersecurity although it didn’t go into any detail on the issue.
