RFP FOR TRANSURANIC WASTE ISSUED

OAK RIDGE, TN --The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has moved one step closer toward the final treatment and disposition of a major category of waste on the DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation.

DOE has issued a final Request for Proposal (RFP) for the retrieval, treatment, and certification of transuranic wastes produced as a result of past operations at the DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Transuranic wastes contain manmade, alpha-emitting radionuclides that have half-lives greater than 20 years, and are found in concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries per gram.

The RFP calls for a private company to treat the wastes onsite in the Melton Valley area of ORNL. After processing, the wastes will ultimately be shipped to DOE waste management facilities located in the western United States. The value of the contract is estimated to be in the range of $350 million over 11 years. The contract is expected to be awarded early next year.

An information session for stakeholders on the RFP for the Transuranic Waste Treatment Project will be held from 5-6 p.m., July 15, at the Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge. DOE will receive proposals from private companies until August 29, 1997.

The RFP may be accessed via DOE Oak Ridge Offices Internet Home Page at www.oro.doe.gov/ under the subheading "Doing Business (Procurement)."

-DOE-

News Media Contact: Frank C. Juan, (423) 576-0885

Additional Information on Oak Ridge Offices can be found at our WWW Home Page located at http://www.ornl.gov/doe_oro/

R-97-025