Corps awards $34 million contract to decommission, dismantle nuclear reactor; Galveston selected as decommissioning site

Courtesy Photo | The STURGIS barge is currently moored at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va.  

GALVESTON, TX, UNITED STATES

04.04.2014

Story by Sandra Arnold 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District

GALVESTON, Texas – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District awarded a $34,663,325 contract to CB&I Federal Services LLC (CB&I) for the decommissioning, dismantling and disposal of the MH-1A nuclear reactor, which is installed on the STURGIS barge. The STURGIS will be relocated in September 2014 to Galveston, Texas, for decommissioning.

Before being shutdown in 1976, the MH-1A nuclear reactor was used to generate electricity for military and civilian use. The reactor was de-fueled, decontaminated and sealed before being towed to the James River Reserve Fleet at Joint Base Langley Eustis, Va., where it is currently being stored and maintained.

After the contractor removes the residual radioactive waste materials, the remaining portions of the STURGIS barge will be transported to Brownsville, Texas, for disposal or recycling as scrap using standard ship breaking methods. Wastes will be segregated in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. The entire process is anticipated to be completed in under four years.

The USACE will host a public meeting in Galveston this summer to provide more details and answer questions.

Learn more about the decommissioning and dismantling contract at http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/Sturgis.aspx. For news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston.

• Date Taken: 04.04.2014
• Date Posted: 04.04.2014 14:08
• Story ID: 124324
• Location: GALVESTON, TX, US