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Bechtel’s Impact Report

Nuclear Operations

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Delivering a safer and more secure future

For generations, Bechtel has been entrusted by the U.S. government and governments around the world to design, build, and manage projects that make delivering a safer and more secure world possible. Bechtel is a demonstrated partner delivering management and operations, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the Department of Energy for more than 40 years.

Our government customers trust our legacy of supporting nuclear security missions and delivering vital scientific, engineering, project management, and business services to help maintain some of the most secure programs and facilities in the United States and around the world. Our personnel provide critical expertise to allied government clients – from management and operation of national nuclear laboratories, design and construction of highly-secure nuclear infrastructure, and management of complex nuclear capital programs –to support safety, security, and sustainment of our nation’s nuclear deterrents.

Bechtel provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with management and operation of their most secure facilities, including Pantex Plant, Y-12 National Security Complex, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Our teams work every day to foster an educational, scientific, secure, and efficient environment necessary for delivering vital scientific advancements and national security missions.

  • The Y 12 National Security Complex is a premier manufacturing facility dedicated to making our nation and the world a safer place and plays a vital role in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Security Enterprise.

    Pantex Plant and Y-12 National Security Complex

    Consolidated Nuclear Security, a Bechtel-led partnership, manages and operates the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Pantex Plant and Y-12 National Security Complex, which is instrumental in maintaining the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

  • Bechtel is constructing a modern Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) for the National Nuclear Security Administration to support key missions of the Y-12 National Security Complex and ensure the long-term viability, safety, and security of enriched uranium

    Uranuium Processing Facility

    Bechtel is constructing a new facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex to ensure the long-term viability, safety, and security of enriched uranium capabilities in the U.S. The modernization will fortify the country's nuclear defense, reduce global threats from weapons of mass destruction, improve worker safety, reduce energy consumption, and significantly lower operating and maintenance costs.

  • Workers with Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO) safely emplace transuranic waste-filled containers inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) deep underground salt repository. In early 2023, SIMCO, a Bechtel National, Inc. company, became the

    Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

    Bechtel manages and operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for the U.S. Department of Energy. For more than 20 years, our team has been at various sites overseeing the safe and permanent disposal of legacy waste from nuclear weapons production and nuclear defense activities. Bechtel has been trusted with managing the nation’s only deep underground repository for nuclear waste.

  • Image of the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility. (Courtesy of LLNL)

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

    Working with the University of California, a Bechtel-led team recently achieved historic breakthroughs at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Bechtel is a lead contractor for the maintenance and operations at LLNL, providing project support, capital project execution, and helping to create an environment in which research and national security science can thrive.