DOE/ORO/2327 Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental ...

4. The Y-12 National Security Complex
4.1 Description of Site and Operations
4.1.1 Mission
The Y-12 Complex is a one-of-a-kind manufacturing facility that plays an important role in U.S.
national security. The roles of the Y-12 Complex include the following:
• receipt, storage, and protection of special nuclear materials;
• quality evaluation/enhanced surveillance of the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile;
• safe and secure storage of nuclear materials;
• dismantlement of weapon secondaries and disposition of weapon components;
• provision of technical support to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation Program;
• provision of fuel for the nation’s naval reactors program;
• transfer of technology to private industry;
• maintenance of DOE capabilities; and
• provision of support to DOE, other federal agencies, and other national priorities.
Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC (B&W Y-12) is the NNSA’s management and
operating contractor responsible for operation the Y-12 National Security Complex. Located within the
town limits of Oak Ridge, Y-12 covers more than 328 ha (810 acres) in the Bear Creek Valley, stretching
4.0 km (2.5 miles) down the valley and nearly 2.4 km (1.5 miles) wide. Approximately 6,000 people work
on site, including employees of B&W Y-12, NNSA, Wackenhut Services (NNSA’s security services
contractor), other DOE contractors, and subcontractors.
NNSA-related facilities located off the Y-12 Complex site but in Oak Ridge include the Office of
Secure Transportation (OST) Agent Operations Eastern Command (AOEC) Secure Transportation Center
and Training Facility and an analytical laboratory. The laboratory is a leased facility providing a wide
range of routine and nonroutine analytical services for environmental and hazardous waste programs of
NNSA, DOE, and other customers.
4.1.2 Transformation
Complex Transformation is NNSA’s vision for a smaller, safer, more secure, and less expensive
nuclear weapons complex that leverages the scientific and technical capabilities of its workforce and
meets national security requirements.
The complex is old; many of the facilities were required for the Cold War security environment but
are no longer necessary to use or affordable to maintain. The Y-12 Complex’s infrastructure reduction
effort focuses on removing excess buildings and infrastructure to support reduction in maintenance and
operating cost and to provide real estate for future modernization needs. The country’s need to construct
smarter, more environmentally friendly buildings is a focus of the new construction projects.
4.1.2.1 Infrastructure Reduction
Infrastructure activities continue to significantly change the face of the Y-12 Complex. In FY 2009,
an additional 1425.5 m 2 (15,328 ft 2 ) of floor space was demolished, bringing Y-12’s total to more than
0.1 million m 2 (1.2 million ft 2 ) or 284 buildings demolished since the program was initiated in 2001.
The Infrastructure Reduction project team completed the demolition of Buildings 9706-1 and
9706-1A. The Infrastructure Reduction project team completed planning efforts for FY 2009, which
focused on the demolition of 13 facilities targeted to be funded under Transformation Disposition
Program. Although the Transformation Disposition Program went unfunded in FY 2009, Facilities
The Y-12 National Security Complex 4-1