Duratek, along with its joint
venture partners, was awarded a contract that with all options
exercised would total about $128 million. The contract, awarded
by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), calls for the down-blending
and extraction of isotopes from enriched uranium-233 (U-233).
The cost-plus fixed fee contract is estimated to cover a nine-year
period in a three-phased approach. DOE has more than 1,200
containers of the material at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL). Down-blending and stabilizing this material will save
costly monitoring and security protocols, place the U-233
in a safe and stable configuration, and make thorium (Th229)
available to produce actinium (Ac225) for cancer research
and treatment. The joint venture, named Isotek Systems, consists
of three members: Duratek; Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS);
and Burns and Roe Enterprises, Inc. Duratek’s portion of the
joint venture is 45 percent, and its primary role is overall
project and business management, processing facility operations,
project safety and compliance, commercialization of Ac-225
, and safe shutdown of the storage facility. NFS’ primary
role is down-blending, thorium extraction, process design,
ES&H, safeguards and security, and nuclear materials control
and accountability. Burns and Roe’s primary role is project
controls and reporting, facility design modifications, engineering
drawings, and construction management. Commercial partners
will work with Isotek to produce and deliver the isotopes
which show promise in the treatment of several types of cancer.
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