Hanford Cleanup Pact Awarded

A Fremont, Calif., company has won a $24 million contract to treat slightly hazardous and radioactive wastes from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the U.S. Department of Energy said Monday.

Allied Technology Group Inc. won bidding for the 10-year contract, which includes five additional one-year options, the department said.

The minority-owned company plans to build a waste treatment plant on a 45-acre site near the southeastern Washington reservation. Allied Technology will pick up the waste at Hanford and take it to the plant, where it will be treated, analyzed and repackaged before being returned to Hanford.

Thirty thousand drums of solid and liquid wastes are expected to be generated at Hanford over the life of the contract. About 3,000 drums of waste currently await treatment.

The liquid wastes include oils, solvents, paint thinners and diesel fuel. Solid wastes include packing materials, containers and contaminated tools and clothing.

Allied Technology will not be paid during the five-year start-up phase of the project and will be compensated only for waste that is treated and ready for disposal, the Energy Department said. The company also will be required to obtain all necessary permits.