The Department of Energy’s nuclear remediation office announced this week that demolition is complete for the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W) naval reactor prototype plant at the Idaho National Laboratory.
In a Tuesday announcement, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and Jacobs-led contract Idaho Environmental Coalition finished taking down the structure at the Naval Reactors Facility at the DOE lab.
The cleanup project began in 2022. Earlier this year, workers removed the defueled reactor vessel and moved it to an onsite disposal facility. The S1W plant prototype supported development of the USS Nautilus, DOE said. In 1955, the Nautilus became the world’s first operational nuclear submarine. With the building torn down, crews now turn their attention to removing debris, DOE said.
The Department of Defense has issued NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services a roughly $537 million contract to dismantle a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Ex-Enterprise (CVN 65), according to a May 30 notice.
The parts, which include hazardous materials and low-level radioactive waste, will be recycled or properly disposed of, according to the DoD.
Most of the work will be done in Mobile, Ala., and should be completed by November 2029.
BWX Technologies has appointed Gonzalo Cajade as its chief human resources officer effective June 1.
Cajade has been in human resource management for more than two decades. He was most recently executive vice president and chief people officer at TERREPOWER. Lynchburg, Va.,-based BWXT made the announcement in a May 29 press release.
Cajade will report to CEO Rex Gevedenand serve as a member of the executive leadership team, BWXT said in the release.
Orano USA has announced this week the opening of its Project IKE office building in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The new office will employ 40 people and will be located nearly 10 miles away from the Project IKE site. The office employees will be additional to the 300-workforce expected to be at Orano’s uranium enrichment facility, Orano USA said.
Project IKE, would entail a multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment facility to supply American reactors with uranium to aid in the country’s quest for energy independence and national security, said Orano USA Thursday press release. The company said it should be one of the largest investments in Tennessee history.
