Oak Ridge completes demolition of Alpha-2 enrichment facility

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management announced it had completed the largest demolition project yet at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., when it took down the final wall of a 325,000-square-foot former uranium enrichment facility last week.

According to DOE-EM, demolition of the Alpha-2 complex (Building 9201-2) by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and cleanup contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge will help modernize the Y-12 site to support important national security missions.

One of eight original Calutron buildings at Oak Ridge that enriched uranium for the first atomic bombs, the Manhattan Project-era facility was categorized as a high-risk excess contaminated facility by the DOE.

"This has been a massive undertaking," said Alpha-2 federal project director Morgan Carden. "The ability to not only complete a task of this scale, but achieving it months ahead of schedule, speaks volumes about the skill, expertise, and commitment of this team."

The work: According to DOE-EM, preparing the 2.5-acre, three-story structure for demolition was a monumental task, requiring four years of work beginning in 2020. Radiological and chemical hazards had to be removed from inside the facility, and active utility lines essential to Y-12's operations-including steam, air, gas and water-had to be rerouted.

Crews began demolition of Alpha-2 in September 2024, finishing the above-grade demolition this month.

UCOR crews met their milestones for the deactivation and demolition of Alpha-2 with an impressive safety record, DOE-EM said. Project employees worked more than 800,000 hours without a recordable injury or illness.

Next steps: With the Alpha-2 building torn down, OREM has begun characterization work and debris removal. A necessary step before the project is officially deemed complete, the work involves further sampling, analyzing, downsizing, packaging, and shipping of the remaining waste for disposal. That work is expected to be completed this summer.

Also, this summer crews will begin tearing down Y-12's Building 9401-1, known as the Old Steam Plant, and OREM and UCOR are expected to complete deactivation work on the 300,000-square-foot Beta-1 facility, the next former uranium enrichment facility slated for demolition.