U.S. Department of Energy - Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management

Lots of big headlines to share this month! Our team spoke with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright during his recent visit to Oak Ridge. He discussed the importance of our cleanup efforts at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and how our land transfers are attracting nuclear companies to the region. Our team also talked with the US Army Corps of Engineers about completing construction on the K-25 Interpretive Center. Finally, we introduce you to the “Voice of Oak Ridge National Laboratory,” who is making science sound better than ever. https://lnkd.in/e6b5e-8z

What happens when repairs are needed inside highly contaminated rooms used to process nuclear waste? That’s a question our contractor Isotek is answering. Read about the steps they’re taking to prepare employees to enter these rooms to keep our highest priority cleanup project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on track. https://lnkd.in/enfXvBBt

We have a full slate of projects scheduled in 2025 that will build on the momentum we achieved last year. Our employees are advancing our largest-ever demolition at Y-12 National Security Complex, preparing a dozen facilities for demolition at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, reducing inventories of nuclear waste stored on site, and constructing key infrastructure to support future cleanup efforts. https://lnkd.in/ehsZ94yB

We're tackling big projects in 2025 that will keep our transformation moving forward at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It wouldn't be possible without our outstanding employees and our strong partners, UCOR and Isotek. Tune in for an exclusive preview of the top initiatives you can expect in the year ahead.

Another year is almost in the books, and once again Oak Ridge has proven to be a site where employees are up to the challenge. OREM and its contractors, UCOR and Isotek, completed all of the priorities set for 2024 and reached an ambitious milestone decades in the making. Read more about the important progress we achieved this year! https://lnkd.in/eTcagq5j

We've finished fieldwork and started monitoring groundwater elevations for a study at the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) site. Workers cleared and recontoured more than 30 acres and installed a cover system to replicate the future facility. UCOR and teaming partner RSI will monitor groundwater elevations over the course of the next two wet seasons through 2026. That data will be used to inform the final design and enable the final phase of the project, which includes EMDF’s construction. https://lnkd.in/eUiWrNF7

2024 has been a big year for cleanup progress in Oak Ridge. To celebrate, we’re sending it off with a special edition of Energycast — a countdown of our top accomplishments. Employees voted on the top 10 projects of the year, and the results are in. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/egap4DsU

Please help us get the word out! We signed a $42 million agreement earlier this year that’s funding grants for a wide range of projects that provide nature and recreational opportunities in Anderson, Roane, and portions of Loudon and Knox counties. We’re hosting a workshop at the TownePlace Suites in Oak Ridge on Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. to share how to apply. Deadline to apply is Feb. 6. https://lnkd.in/ePMDY4hC

Read this column from The Oak Ridger that describes how the past and future are coming together at the East Tennessee Technology Park. Our cleanup at the former uranium enrichment site is ushering in new growth and opportunities for the City Of Oak Ridge and the next generation nuclear industry. https://lnkd.in/gevkW5_t

We’ve kicked off the second phase of demolition at the Alpha-2 complex. UCOR crews are busy tearing down the largest structure yet at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The massive 2.5-acre Manhattan Project-era structure stands three stories tall and measures 325,000 square feet. https://lnkd.in/exJrrFc3