News

The first wind turbine blade is delivered to the site of the Pantex Renewable Energy Project Thursday. Work crews are beginning to erect the first of five wind turbines that will make up the PREP project. When it is completed this spring, PREP will be the largest federally owned wind farm in the country and will provide approximately 60 percent of the average annual electricity need for the Pantex Plant.

HEPF sets bar for project management

Lt. Gen. Tom Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), visited Pantex this week to tour the High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF). Bostick toured the facility and said he came away impressed, singling out HEPF as an excellent demonstration of what can happen when federal agencies and contractors work together effectively to manage projects. USACE is managing construction in cooperation with NNSA, B&W Pantex and main construction contractor Kiewit Building Group.

Construction on HEPF is approximately 90 percent complete and is on schedule and under budget. When finished, the $65 million project will combine high explosives work from a half dozen older buildings – two dating back to World War II – into one state-of-the-art facility.

Workers at the Pantex High Explosives Pressing Facility this month passed the 85% construction completion mark on construction of the 45,000 square-foot facility, which will combine High Explosives (HE) operations from numerous outdated buildings into one state-of-the-art facility. Completion of the project will help to bolster Pantex’s status as the Department of Energy’s High Explosives Center of Excellence for HE manufacturing.

The roof has been completed, officially enclosing the exterior of the facility, which allows the contractor to continue work inside during inclement weather. The roadway paving around the facility has started, which will allow for all-weather access.

The new state-of-the-art HE presses, which take advantage of advanced isostatic pressing techniques, have been installed. The process equipment has arrived and is being installed. All Blast-Resistant Doors have been installed. Offices have been built and are being painted.

The major remaining work activities include installation of overhead cranes, flooring and mechanical/electrical systems.

Acting NNSA Administrator Bruce Held and NPO Manager Steve Erhart toured the HEPF on November 7th.

Construction of the $65 million facility began in late 2011 and is expected to be complete in May, 2014. B&W Pantex has begun pre start up activities to meet the CD-4 (approval to start operations) date of September 2016.

The construction effort is being managed by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the design effort/plant support is being led by B&W Pantex with a design subcontract to CH2M Hill.

Officers run more than 50 miles to raise awareness

For the third year in a row, Pantex Security Police Officers Byron Logan and Randy Stokes took to the area's roads and highways to raise awareness of the hungry in the Texas Panhandle. Logan and Stokes biked and ran and biked more than 50 miles Friday during the annual Run Against Hunger, gathering food and donations for the High Plains Food Bank.

Pantexans to run/bike 65 miles to raise awareness

---- Note: Last week’s weather postponed the run. It has been rescheduled for Friday, Dec. 13 ----

Pantexans again will be hitting the road Friday in an effort to raise awareness about hunger in the Texas Panhandle in the third annual Pantex Run Against Hunger. This year the route will be even longer, running from White Deer to Amarillo for a 65-mile trip.

Byron Logan and Randy Stokes, officers in the Safeguards & Security Division at Pantex, will again embark on a long-distance trek through parts of the Panhandle, ending at the High Plains Food Bank, 815 Ross Street, Amarillo.

Starting in White Deer, the pair will bike on Highway 60 through Panhandle and over to Highland Park Schools, where they will begin an approximately 20-mile run to the Food Bank. Other Pantexans are expected to join them along the route, some during the bike ride and others during the run. They will be followed by a Bearcat, which is an armored vehicle used by Security Police Officers at Pantex.

“Randy and I wanted to do something to help people in our community who are struggling,” Logan said. “We run long distances, and we wanted to use that skill to raise awareness about hunger in our area.”

The runners’ progress will be posted on http://twitter.com/PantexPlant.

The Run Against Hunger began in 2011 with a 30-mile run from Pantex to the Food Bank’s food drive at United Market Street. Last year the pair added a 40-mile bike ride, visiting with students at Panhandle and Highland Park schools.

The food bank is continuing to accept donations of food and cash. The food bank can take a donation of $5 and stretch it into $50 of food. The top needs this year are green beans, canned soups, canned mixed vegetables, bagged rice and sweet peas.

Any media outlet wishing to cover this effort is welcome to film along the route of the run. They plan to begin the running portion at approximately noon running west on U.S. Highway 60, south on Lakeside Drive and west on the Interstate 40 access road into Amarillo and to the Food Bank. They expect to arrive at the Food Bank at approximately 3 p.m., where they will be available for interviews. For updates on where the run is along the route, please contact Laura Bailey at 223-8211.

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B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program Superior STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

Management system delivered early, under budget

B&W Pantex today announced the successful implementation of the National Nuclear Security Administration Integrated Production Planning and Execution System (IPRO) seven months ahead of schedule and approximately $8 million below projected cost.

As with most complex manufacturing processes, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool is utilized at Pantex to minimize required on-hand inventory while ensuring the right product with the right quality is delivered at the right time. B&W Pantex developed and deployed IPRO to modernize its ERP system and reduce cost while improving operational visibility and inventory accuracy. IPRO represents a major system (hardware/software) upgrade designed to integrate management of mission critical functions.

The program not only replaces software management systems dating back nearly 25 years, it provides a portable, customizable and flexible ERP solution to sustain the ever-evolving electronic workplace.

On November 1, the Pantex Plant successfully completed the first 100 days since implementation of IPRO, achieving a full production rate despite several challenges, including an NNSA-directed operations suspension in preparation for the government shutdown. The challenge of using the new system during the unprecedented shutdown proved a worthy test for IPRO.

“The dozens of men and women who worked diligently on implementing this program are an outstanding representation of the dedication of all Pantexans,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “At every turn, they were willing to put in the extra hours and effort to implement this critical program under some very difficult circumstances.”

The business and mission critical activities supported by IPRO are:

• Forecasting, planning and scheduling resource requirements
• Creation and management of inventory items, bill of materials/structures and routings
• Receipt, storage, distribution and final disposition of components
• Financial management of inventory
• Collection and reporting of specific assembly and disassembly information
• Production work in process management, reporting and tracking
• The identification, tracking and disposition of non-conforming materials
• Integrated authorization and control of movement for nuclear materials and explosives

IPRO enabled the modernization of warehouse and inventory operations, including the use of a mobile, dockable electronic scanner that increases accuracy and tracking of inventory.

Success of this project is attributed to the use of a tailored approach execution strategy which allowed the project team and the oversight community to adapt quickly and remain flexible as the project progressed through different phases. Using an iterative approach to the development of IPRO, 23 man-years of effort were expended in an eleven-month period. These iterative development cycles allowed team members to deliver pieces of IPRO early in the development phase, allowing testing and adjustments to progress promptly.

IPRO utilizes an Oracle PeopleSoft-based software solution, which creates the potential for integration across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, where 90 percent of the Enterprise Resource Planning tools are based on PeopleSoft.

“The Pantex Plant has once again demonstrated innovative thinking and a willingness to look at the big picture with IPRO,” said NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart. “This system not only increases the reliability, accuracy and quality of operations at Pantex, it has the potential to do the same for facilities throughout NNSA.”

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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

Review shows Plant on track for legacy contamination cleanup

The Pantex Plant passed a significant milestone in November in its effort to clean up legacy contamination at the site, securing state and federal approval in a review of the decade-long remediation process.

The completion of the five-year review, with the concurrence of officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), confirms the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to clean up soil and perched groundwater contamination remaining from decades of weapons production at the Plant.

“Protection of the environment is a critical focus of all our efforts at Pantex. The results of this review show that we are taking the right steps to accomplish that mission,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

Pantex played a key role in the Cold War, helping to secure America through the creation of a safe and effective nuclear stockpile. Those efforts left contamination in soil and perched groundwater at the Plant. While the sources that generated the contamination have been eliminated, the contamination itself remains and must be remediated for long-term protection of human health and the environment.

Starting in the early 2000’s, Pantex worked with EPA and TCEQ to select the remedy under the auspices of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The selected remedy includes innovative approaches to clean up contaminants on the plant site, primarily high explosives, solvents, perchlorate and chromium.

Groundwater contamination is limited to a shallow perched aquifer beneath the plant and Texas Tech University property to the south. Remediation is focused on removing the contamination, removing water from the perched aquifer to limit migration of contamination, protecting the regional drinking water aquifer known as the Ogallala Aquifer and working to restore the perched aquifer for drinking water purposes. This is accomplished primarily through two conventional pump and treat systems that beneficially reuse the treated water and two innovative bioremediation systems that pump a food source (emulsified soybean oil) into the aquifer to sustain bacteria that break down contaminants.

Much of the soil contamination is left over from legacy waste practices that included disposal of contaminated wastewater, solvents, or debris in unlined ditches, pits or landfills. Cleanup actions in these areas include a soil vapor extraction system, ditch liners and vegetative covers on landfills.

The CERCLA review confirmed that the remedial actions in place are functioning well to protect human health and the environment by containing and treating contamination as appropriate. The review concludes the remedial actions are effective and will continue to function well into the foreseeable future. Pantex is committed to continuing to operate the actions and make modifications to enhance effectiveness in the future.

“I’d like to congratulate the men and women who have worked so hard over the past 10 years to help clean up contamination at the Pantex Plant. Their dedication has allowed us to say with absolute assurance that Pantex is committed to protecting the people and the environment of the Texas Panhandle,” said NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart.

The results of the CERCLA review and more information on environmental cleanup efforts at Pantex are available. The next Environmental Long Term Stewardship Public Meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., December 2 at the Square House Museum in Panhandle.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

B&W Pantex Employees Help Welcome Tree

B&W Pantex employees serve snacks to attendees at an event celebrating a visit from the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree. The 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce was harvested from the Collville National Forest in Washington and will be erected at the Capitol Building. Babcock & Wilcox was one of the corporate sponsors of the tree tour which will make 22 stops, including Amarillo, before arriving in Washington D.C.

More than 500 Pantexans and their families attended Pantex Night at the Don Harrington Discovery Center Sunday. Pantex volunteers served hamburgers and hot dogs at the science center event, which featured an exhibit on the extinct Megalodon shark, as well as a mummy in the Lost Egypt exhibit. B&W Pantex sponsored the shark exhibit.

A group of young women engineers from Pantex spent their Saturday putting on an annual engineering workshop, known as S’More Engineering, for Amarillo-area Girl Scouts.

The engineers helped the Girl Scouts with several projects that illustrated engineering concepts, such as an egg drop that had the girls building a structure that would allow an egg to survive a one-story drop and an Angry Birds activity that saw them build catapults and other launching devices that re-created the popular mobile game.

The program started last year as a way to generate interest in engineering among young girls and encourage them to pursue careers in technical fields.

“It is very encouraging to see so many girls come out and take an active interest in engineering,” said Pantex process engineer Savannah Gates, who helped develop the Girl Scouts program. “These activities are so much fun, but they also teach important lessons that we hope will be valuable in their lives.”

B&W Pantex supports numerous activities throughout the year designed to encourage a love of science and math among area youths.

This year’s event continued the trend of increasing attendance, up by 50 percent over the last workshop, and interest by Girl Scouts, including several parents who participated in the event.

“It’s such a great opportunity for the girls to meet the Pantex engineers and work with them on these projects,” said Kathi Schutz, area director for the Girl Scouts of the Texas Oklahoma Plains. “They’re very hands on, and the girls see them as mentors that are taking an active interest in them.”