The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $1.5-billion, 10-year contract to Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership for deactivation and remediation work at the 3,500-acre Paducah Gaseus Diffusion Plant in Kentucky.

Partners include CH2M , Fluor Corp., and BWX Technologies.

The base term is five years valued at approximately $750 million, followed by three-year and two-year option periods, valued at a total of $750 million. A transition period is scheduled to begin in June 2017.

Aerial view of Paducah site.The site, built in the 1950s as part of the nation's nuclear weapons complex, processed uranium from 1952 to 2013 for military reactors, nuclear weapons, and nuclear power plant fuels.

From 1993 to 2013, the United States Enrichment Corp. (USEC) leased plant facilities to conduct gaseous diffusion operations. In October 2014, USEC returned the facilities to the DOE Environmental Management program for cleanup and disposition.

Since 1988, DOE has worked to clean up soil and ground water contamination. Actions to date include removing contaminated soils and treating contaminated groundwater. DOE has made and continues to make improvements to the ground water treatment system.

The Four Rivers contract includes management of over 650 structures, properties, and buildings and will optimize short- and long-term surveillance and maintenance costs to allow for additional stabilization, deactivation and remediation activities, reducing risk and future demolition costs.