AIKEN, S.C. – The EM program at the Savannah River Site (SRS) achieved many accomplishments in 2014:

• Dissolved fuel in the Sodium Reactor Experiment Campaign in H-Canyon; the fuel in this campaign had been in storage, and following dissolution it was moved to high-level waste tanks to be vitrified, or turned into glass and salt waste; workers also began dissolution of Foreign and Domestic Research Reactor fuel for uranium recovery;
• Prepared plutonium stored in EM facilities for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility plutonium production, and began oxide production at HB-Line;
• Continued receipt, safe storage, and shipment of nuclear materials, including used nuclear fuel;
• Operated 39 remedial systems primarily used for groundwater cleanup, and completed sampling and analysis of more than 2,300 groundwater monitoring wells;
• Began field remediation activities at a former coal-fired power plant as part of the D-Area Ash Project;
• Remediated and characterized all remaining legacy transuranic waste;
• Shipped 405 cubic meters of legacy transuranic waste for disposition at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in fiscal year 2014; and
• Expanded storage capacity of the K-Area storage vault for special nuclear materials, a project completed about $1 million under budget.

Following are other 2014 achievements at SRS:

• Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, EM’s management and operations contractor at SRS, continued safety excellence; DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) recertification team recommended the company retain its Star status with that program; • Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) extended its influence with the laboratory taking on lead roles in scientific and technical efforts in DOE and around the world; • SRNL was selected to lead teams focused on complex-wide issues at WIPP and the Hanford Tank Farms; and • The SRS Tours Program conducted 255 tours for 3,060 visitors.

EM and its liquid waste contractor, Savannah River Remediation (SRR), accomplished the following:

• Vitrified 126 Canisters of radioactive waste in Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF);
• Completed operational closure of two liquid waste tanks, Tanks 5 and 6;
• Completed the Control Room Consolidation Project and controlled the first inter-area waste transfer from H-Area, the first since September 2012; the transfer line will continue to be used to execute the processing strategy for moving sludge waste through DWPF and salt solution through the Actinide Removal Process/Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit and, when operational, the Salt Waste Processing Facility;
• Provided a team of technical experts to assist with the WIPP recovery effort; SRR employees arrived days after the radiological release at WIPP and continue to provide recovery support; and
• Received the 2014 VPP Innovation Award, the 2014 Safety Health Achievement Award, and was recognized again as a VPP Legacy of Stars recipient; the Legacy of Stars recognition distinguishes a company that has excelled in outreach and mentoring in VPP, and has demonstrated sustained excellence in worker safety and health; this is the fourth such award received by SRR.

SRS Employee Wins Award, Again

   For the second year in a row, an employee from the Savannah River Operations Office was selected as the DOE Facility Representative of the Year. This year, Dennis Yates won the award. Yates, a federal employee with the Nuclear Material Stabilization Project, works at the HB-Line in the H-Canyon, a chemical separations facility. DOE facility representatives ensure safe operations in DOE facilities.