Westinghouse Hanford Gets Operating Bonus

In its final year of operating most Hanford Nuclear Reservation plants, the Westinghouse Hanford Co. earned a bonus award of $2.6 million.

The bonus from the U.S. Department of Energy is for work between Oct. 1, 1995 and Sept. 30.

Westinghouse received an evaluation score of 89 out of 100 - its highest marks since 1989 - and three points higher than its last evaluation.

The improved scores are for better work managing Hanford’s radioactive waste storage tanks, said DOE Hanford manager John Wagoner.

If Westinghouse had an unblemished record during the evaluation period, it could have received about $5 million. A score of 80 or below means no bonus.

Hanford was the primary contractor at the site from 1987 until late this year, when Fluor Daniel was awarded a five-year, nearly $5 billion contract.

Wagoner, in his letter, noted significant achievements in the nuclear waste tank farm operations, including a campaign to cut costs. Among the achievements:

Progress in getting several old Hanford facilities ready for final shutdown.

Support for conversion to a metric system.

Meeting deadlines for cleaning up Hanford’s contaminated lands and facilities.

Wagoner’s letter also outlined “significant deficiencies” in many of those same projects, some of which have caused delays and increased costs.

Westinghouse’s shortcomings include:

Inadequate handling of flammable gas concerns in tanks.

Falling behind in developing an inventory of the contents inside Hanford’s 177 underground waste tanks.

Overspending in tank farm operations through inefficient overtime use.