A former Savannah River Site (SRS) employee has announced that his company has entered into contracts with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).
Keith Willingham, who started his career at SRS 35 years ago, is now the Vice President and General Manager of Aecon-Wachs, a U.S.-based corporation providing single-source solutions for virtually every aspect of nuclear industry construction, refurbishment, maintenance, and decommissioning. Aecon-Wachs recently entered into two contracts with SRNS, valued at $100 million, to complete decommissioning-related work on the SRS Site.
Aecon-Wachs will support the transition of the Building 226-F Facility to the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) by demolition and removal of all components, including equipment and bulk commodities while protecting the existing structure. Aecon-Wachs will design, install and maintain temporary HVAC to facilitate proper climate controls in the facility during construction.
“We are excited to add this important SRS project to our growing backlog of signature decommissioning projects and we will work diligently to get the project started and completed as needed by our client and key stakeholders,” Willingham said.
The projects kicked off in October and will continue through October 2024 with a multi-year optional maintenance program to follow. Aecon-Wachs and its preferred subcontractors and small business partners will provide management positions to support 42 non-manual roles at peak schedule, with 135 new skilled jobs expected to enter the area as work ramps up.
Willingham said that since the 2018 acquisition of Wachs Services by Aecon Group, it set a strategic mission to grow its nuclear portfolio in next-generation nuclear technologies, existing plant maintenance and life extensions, decommissioning, and government services.
