The Y-12 D&D team recently gathered to celebrate a standout FY 2026, highlighted by historic demolitions, multimillion-dollar cost savings, and accelerated risk-reduction timelines across the site.
Key Highlights
- Alpha-2 demolition: Crews completed the largest demolition in Y-12 history at Alpha-2, hauling away over 81 million pounds of debris, shipping 625,000 pounds of lead, and stabilizing the 325,000-square-foot footprint with non-permeable cover and groundwater monitoring wells.
- Old Steam Plant Demolition: Work began on demolishing Building 9401-1, marking the first time UCOR executed teardowns on two Y-12 facilities in a single fiscal year—cutting long-term surveillance costs and maintaining workforce momentum.
- Beta-4 deactivation: Teams initiated deactivation across the 315,000-square-foot facility, deploying advanced cutting technology to perform isolations 50% faster, targeting cold-and-dark status by early 2027.
- Alpha-4 risk reduction: Sanitization and mercury-vapor reduction continued alongside over $20 million in cost savings achieved via operational innovations. The team closed out a four-year effort by shipping 447 legacy waste containers, positioning the 510,000-square-foot structure for full deactivation in 2027.
- Beta-1 ready for demolition: A six-year deactivation effort concluded—including pumping 17 million gallons of water and placing 3,300 truckloads of grout—clearing the condemned structure for planned demolition in early 2027.
Together, these milestones reflect continuous progress in eliminating legacy hazards and clearing ground to support Y-12’s ongoing national security mission.
