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Parsons has been awarded a two-year contract by LES to "provide engineering, construction management, and construction services" for the expansion phase of the National Enrichment Facility, Parsons announced February 3. The value of the contract was not disclosed. Parsons, a California-based engineering and construction firm, said it was awarded the contract "based on its approach, engineering excellence, and ability to partner and develop the project in a fast-track manner while meeting [NRC] licensing requirements." LES announced in November that it plans to expand the annual capacity of its centrifuge uranium enrichment facility under construction in Eunice, New Mexico from 3 million SWU to 5.9 million SWU. That will push the plant's predicted completion date to the end of 2014, resulting in a total construction cost of more than $3 billion, LES said last year. When completed, the facility will be able to provide 50% of all enriched fuel for the 104 operating power reactors in the US, Parsons said.

Duke Energy has signed a contract with the Department of Energy for the disposal of spent fuel generated by its proposed William States Lee III nuclear power plant in South Carolina. Duke's contract with the department is the first publicly announced for disposal of spent fuel from new reactors. In a November 10 press statement, Duke Energy Chief Nuclear Officer Dhiaa Jamil said the contract "is a vital step in supporting the timely licensing" of the station.

The award of Hanford's new $3 billion Mission Support Contract has been protested, the Department of Energy notified Hanford employees Monday evening. DOE expects the Government Accountability Office to take up to 100 days to resolve the protest. In the meantime, work to transition to the new support services contract cannot begin. The contract was awarded Sept. 3 to Mission Support Alliance, a team led by Lockheed Martin. Mission Support Alliance was told then that it would begin the transition from Fluor Hanford on Oct. 1 at the earliest and would assume full responsibility Jan. 1.

The Department of Energy has awarded the new Hanford contract covering cleanup of the central area of the nuclear reservation to CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. It is a limited liability company formed by CH2M Hill Constructors and includes Areva Federal Services, East Tennessee Materials & Energy Corp. and Fluor Federal Services as major subcontractors. The contract is worth $4.5 billion over 10 years, which includes a five-year base period and an option to extend it for five more years, according to DOE. It replaces a portion of an expiring contract now held by Fluor Hanford.

As the only commercial client who intended to buy MOX fuel from the $4.8 billion plant ends its contract, what will the ramifications be for the project and SRS? In December, Duke Energy let its contract to use the fuel in its reactors lapse. This leaves the multibillion dollar facility currently under construction without a customer. Duke Energy allowed its contract to buy the fuel expire Dec. 1, 2008, said Duke Energy spokesperson Rita Sipe. The mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility is a federal project to build a facility that would dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium and create mixed-oxide fuel, commonly called MOX, at the Savannah River Site. The facility is scheduled to open in 2016.

EnergySolutions, Inc. announced today the award of the first of two contracts from Savannah River Remediation (SRR), LLC. Together these contracts will provide funding up to $56 Million over the next 8 years. EnergySolutions was named a subcontractor to the URS led SRR team, which won the Liquid Waste Operations contract at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. "We appreciate the confidence the Savannah River Remediation (SRR) team has in EnergySolutions to perform this work," said Steve Creamer, CEO and Chairman of EnergySolutions. "We look forward to utilizing our vitrification technology to progress the clean up of the Savannah River site."

The Department of Energy has given a team led by Lockheed Martin notice to proceed as the Hanford mission support contractor. The notice to proceed indicates that no protest will be filed on the contract award made late in April to the Lockheed team, Mission Support Alliance. The losing bidder for the contract, Computer Sciences Corp., or CSC, has reached an agreement with the Mission Support Alliance to become a major subcontractor on the team and will not protest the award. "We're still working the details out," said Joe Wagovich, spokesman for Lockheed Martin. The transition from outgoing contractor Fluor Hanford to Mission Support Alliance is expected to begin before the end of the month, although the start date has not been set. The transition will last 90 days and then Mission Support Alliance, led by Frank Figueroa, will take charge of support services at Hanford. Mission Support Alliance was first awarded the contract valued at $3 billion over 10 years in September, but CSC, which had teamed with Battelle, protested the award to the Government Accountability Office.

Todd Jacobson had an interesting piece in some of the ExchangeMonitor Publications this week, saying DOE's Office of Science apparently is rethinking plans to rebid contracts for managing the national labs. The next lab contracts coming up for competition are Brookhaven, ORNL and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), and Jacobson noted that DOE had delayed release of the Brookhaven RFP. His story noted the lack of competition for lab contracts in recent years and quoted one Capitol Hill staffer as saying, "I don't see any reason to shake things up unless there's a strong push for it, a benefit we'll all get out of it."

Amec has been chosen by Czech utility CEZ to manage radioactive waste at a nuclear power plant in Dukovany for the coming five years. Amec's Slovakian business will manage the contract, which already provides a range of services to nuclear power plants in the Slovak and Czech republics. Commenting on the contract win, Amec's managing director of its Slovakian nuclear division, Pavol Stuller, said: "This important contract confirms Amec's position as an important partner to both CEZ and ENEL in the area of radioactive waste management in the Central and Eastern European region". Amec says it will reduce the volume of liquid radioactive waste at the Dukovany plant, thereby cutting the cost of waste management. Earlier this month, Amec announced it was partnering with Energy Solutions in a bid to be appointed "parent body organisation" at Dounreay in north west Scotland. The decommissioning of Dounreay is one of the UK nuclear industry's most significant challenges, with Amec and Energy Solutions claiming that their joint venture would offer "unrivalled experience" and, thus, "the right recipe of global skills, experience, capabilities and culture to safely deliver the desired solution for Dounreay"."

A new Lockheed Martin contract from the Department of Energy that's valued at up to $5 billion could bring work to the Tri-City area. The 11-year contract covers work to help the federal government reduce its energy costs and environmental impacts. But as one of 16 companies given the contracts worth up to a total of $80 billion, it's up to Lockheed Martin to find federal agencies to sign up for work on their buildings or facilities. There's plenty of potential for work to be done in the Tri-City area, including at the Hanford nuclear reservation, said Tom Grumbly, vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy & Security Services.

EnergySolutions, Inc. Today, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in the United Kingdomannounced that the competition for the new contract for the cleanup of theMagnox reactor sites will commence in 2011. Award of the contract isexpected by the end of 2012. EnergySolutions will continue to lead thisimportant cleanup project during this time period and it will bid on thenew contract. The NDA stated that it would select a single operator for Magnox NorthLimited, Magnox South Limited and Research Sites Restoration Limited.

USEC awarded a $1 billion contract to Fluor for work on the enrichment company's Piketon, Ohio gas centrifuge plant, USEC said in a September 25 press statement. The contract, which runs from 2008 to 2012, is for engineering, procurement, construction and construction management services, USEC said. Under the contract, Fluor will be reimbursed for costs and will receive an additional fixed fee. Fluor also can earn an incentive fee based on cost savings it produces, USEC said.

A Utah-based nuclear services company has been awarded a contract from Battelle Energy Alliance to manage waste from Battelle's lab operations at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho. EnergySolutions, of Salt Lake City, will treat, package and transport radioactive, hazardous and industrial waste from several INL facilities, including the Advanced Test Reactor site and the Materials and Fuels Complex. Company spokesman Mark Walker says the $19 million contract will run for five years, with work beginning this summer. Approximately 20 workers will be employed under the contract.

The Department of Energy has picked a new contractor to administer its workers' compensation program for employees of Hanford nuclear reservation contractors. Penser North America Inc., a small business in Lacey, has been awarded a two-year contract worth about $1.5 million. Three one-year extensions could increase the value to about $3.4 million over five years. Penser will replace Contract Claims Services Inc., or CCSI, which has a contract that expires Sept. 30. The transition is expected to begin in August or September, with Penser taking over as third-party administrator on Oct. 1. Penser will be paid per claim processed plus an award fee to provide an incentive for good customer service, innovation and overall excellence.

FACTORY workers near Chester have received a boost after securing a £1.2 million contract. VT Nuclear Services has announced it will build a supply of nuclear waste drums at its DEVA plant. The manufacturing facility, in Chester Gates Business Park, Dunkirk, will make the drums for safe long term storage of nuclear waste for the Dounrea ADVERTISEMENT y Cementation Facility in Caithness, Scotland. A VT Nuclear Services spokesman says the contract secures the 60 staff positions at the plant on a short-term basis as the company seeks more work during "these austere times".

"Ian, Evan & Alexander Corporation (IEA) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Under this contract, IEA will provide assistance for license renewal to the NRC for Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Safety Evaluation Report (SER) documentation. Since its inception, the NRC has approved 104 applications for commercial nuclear power reactors. In compliance with the Atomic Energy Act, these licenses authorize operation for up to 40 years and are renewable for an additional 20 years. For each license application renewal (LRA), the NRC staff publishes one draft SEIS, one final SEIS, one SER with open items, and one final SER. These documents can be as long as 1,000 pages each. IEA will provide project management, technical editing, and desktop publishing services to support this renewal application process. "IEA is extremely pleased to have been selected by the NRC for this project. With energy independence as a core national security strategy, the focus on clean and safe nuclear energy has been revitalized, and we are pleased to be a part of the license renewal process," said John E. Cochran, President and CEO of IEA."

Cement and ready-mix companies in the UAE are gearing up for a massive opportunity for supplying cement and concrete for nuclear power plants in the UAE. The UAE is expected to award contracts estimated to be worth $40 billion (Dh147bn) to build several nuclear reactors. According to a senior industry official, the contract for nuclear power plants would be a blessing for cement companies already struggling with falling demand and reduced profits.

Cement and ready-mix companies in the UAE are gearing up for a massive opportunity for supplying cement and concrete for nuclear power plants in the UAE. The UAE is expected to award contracts estimated to be worth $40 billion (Dh147bn) to build several nuclear reactors. According to a senior industry official, the contract for nuclear power plants would be a blessing for cement companies already struggling with falling demand and reduced profits.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Canadian government-owned corporation's first contract in Japan. The Canadian energy company announced the deal Tuesday, but did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement. AECL said the first pump seal was installed in early November on the boiler system of a Japanese nuclear power plant that began operations earlier this month. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a full-service nuclear technology company, providing services to nuclear utilities around the world.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Canadian government-owned corporation's first contract in Japan. The Canadian energy company announced the deal Tuesday, but did not reveal specific financial details of the agreement. AECL said the first pump seal was installed in early November on the boiler system of a Japanese nuclear power plant that began operations earlier this month. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited is a full-service nuclear technology company, providing services to nuclear utilities around the world.

Department of Energy Manager Gerald Boyd said it's "sort of doubtful" that Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, will complete the demolition of K-25 by the end 2011 - when the company's contract is due to expire - and federal officials are starting to make other plans. Last year, DOE extended and modified the BJC contract, valued at $1.48 billion, to allow the contractor to finish work on the mile-long and massively contaminated building that once processed uranium for the nation's Cold War arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Department of Energy Manager Gerald Boyd said it's "sort of doubtful" that Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, will complete the demolition of K-25 by the end 2011 - when the company's contract is due to expire - and federal officials are starting to make other plans. Last year, DOE extended and modified the BJC contract, valued at $1.48 billion, to allow the contractor to finish work on the mile-long and massively contaminated building that once processed uranium for the nation's Cold War arsenal of nuclear weapons.

"Bechtel Jacobs Co., a partnership of Bechtel National and Jacobs Engineering (reportedly a 60/40 arrangement), has been the Dept. of Energy's environmental manager in Oak Ridge since 1998 -- when DOE established the cleanup role as part of its contract reform effort. That contracting relationship is coming to an end, with DOE's announced plan to have a new contractor in place July 1, 2011. A request for proposals on the contract is expected to be issued soon by DOE's Oak Ridge office. So, what happens to Bechtel Jacobs?"