The Department of Energy has awarded a $1.5 million contract to CH2M Hill Constructors Inc. for design work associated with plans for a transuranic sludge processing facility at Oak Ridge.

Last year, CH2M Hill was selected as the “most qualified” among bidders for the sludge buildout project at DOE’s Transuranic Waste Processing Center (pictured, left) and negotiations led to the first of what is expected to be several contracts. The initial option awarded to CH2M Hill is to finalize the design of a mock test facility, which is supposed to be completed by year’s end.

Mike Koentop, executive officer of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management in Oak Ridge, said if all of the options are chosen CH2M Hill will do the design, construction and operation of the mock test facility and also design the actual sludge processing facility. Additional contract or contracts would be awarded for design and construction of the plant that would be used to process the highly radioactive sludges now in storage tanks.

The overall cost of the sludge processing plant project in Oak Ridge is estimated at about $100 million.

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