As announced at the beginning of the month the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) Project at a price tag of up to $3.2 billion.

Now, a DOE official has responded to specific questions posed by the Portsmouth Daily Times concerning the details of the project including the involvement of the immediate community surrounding the Piketon reservation.

Would the D&D project mean the dismantling of all buildings and facilities under the project title? Or just cleaning those properties up?

“The Portsmouth Decontamination and Decommissioning project and this new contract have been planned with the assumption that the buildings will be demolished and that the contaminated soils and groundwater under and around the buildings will be cleaned up,” Ted Theopolos, Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy Portsmouth/Paducah project office in Lexington, said.

“The DOE request for proposals does include language that will allow consideration of specific buildings for re-use. If alternative uses are to be considered in the future for specific Portsmouth facilities, those re-use alternatives could be evaluated under the contract.”

Theopolos added that DOE has committed to work with the community in developing a final end-state plan, however the current assumption is that D&D would involve dismantling of the buildings unless there was a foreseen reason to maintain the structure for reuse.

Is the Portsmouth DOE reservation designated for any future projects such as the proposed nuclear plant?

“The Department of Energy has not designated the Portsmouth site for any specific future DOE mission. The United States Enrichment Corporation is leasing a portion of the Portsmouth reservation and several former DOE facilities as the site of the company’s new American Centrifuge Project. This USEC leased area is on the southeast corner of the reservation and is separate from the gaseous diffusion plant area. The project currently under construction as USEC is installing new technology centrifuge enrichment equipment,” Theopolos said. “The Department is aware of the proposal by the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance to evaluate the Portsmouth DOE site as a potential site for a commercial nuclear power plant. The Alliance has indicated in media material dated June 18, 2009, that the proposal for a clean energy park demonstration project has been submitted to the DOE for consideration.”

Theopolos said there has been no further announcement of a DOE decision on the proposal.

The Alliance, announced in June, includes AREVA, a French company, Duke Energy Corporation, USEC, and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative.

“We can produce the fuel needed for nuclear power plants. We can produce good jobs. We can create a new nuclear power production facility,” Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said about the project. “It will be good for southern Ohio, good for Ohio, and great for America.”

The Times also asked Theopolos how the contractor that is selected would be able to partner with the local community.

“The RFP (Request for Proposal) directs the contractor to work with the local community as well as the regulators in the process to arrive at cleanup and waste disposition decisions for the project,” Theopolos said. “In addition, the RFP requires the contractor to submit to DOE an annual plan for the community commitment activities and report on program success semi-annually. The Department will not prescribe community commitment activities, but the RFP does identify regional educational outreach, regional purchasing programs, and community support as examples of constructive activities, but contractors will submit their own specific plans.”

Theopolos said the specifics on what the contractor will propose in the initial community commitment plan will not be available until the contract has been awarded.

Is there a date set for the beginning of the D&D Project?

“The base period of the contract is anticipated to begin June 1, 2010,” Theopolos said.

According to DOE the period of performance will be a five-year base period with an additional five-year option period. The anticipated contract work scope has a projected funding range of $2.5 to $3.2 billion over a 10-year period of performance.

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.