The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 03:00 PM
Y-12 National Security Complex To Hire 400 Workers For Construction On Uranium Processing Facility In Oak Ridge
Among those 400 people will be skilled craft employees and professional service personnel. The first wave of construction on the UPF facility will begin in the next few months.
"The go-ahead to begin construction on the three main facilities is a significant step forward for the project,” UPF Project Director John Howanitz said. “Now that we’ve received authorization to proceed, construction activity will increase dramatically and the skyline of Y-12 will truly begin changing in the coming months.
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration granted approval for construction of three buildings: the main processing building, the salvage and accountability building and the process support facilities. Following the first wave of construction, Y-12 site contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC said it expects to hire 1,900 skilled fact and professional services personnel to continue work on the project.
“Together with NNSA, we have already achieved significant progress in preparing the site,” Howanitz said. “The project will dramatically increase in activity with more personnel, delivery vehicles, and material movements.
The UPF project so far is being built on time and under budget. A recent subproject included a concrete batch plant, utility work, site grading and completion of a 65,000-square-foot LEED Gold Certified Construction Support Building.
This work is part of the Department of Energy's effort to modernize the Y-12 complex, replacing the World War II-era plant with a modern, more efficient and safer facility. DoE hopes to have the new UPF facility complete by 2025.
