Dismantling Plan Proposed For Nuclear Power Plant On Fort Belvoir

FORT BELVOIR, VA — The US Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a plan to dismantle a former nuclear power plant on Fort Belvoir. It was the first nuclear power reactor to provide electricity to a commercial power grid in the U.S.

The nuclear power plant is located on Fort Belvoir’s South Post along the shoreline of Gunston Cove. Under the proposal, all radioactive and non‐radioactive materials would be removed from the site. Radioactive, hazardous, and non‐radioactive waste would be separated and sent to the appropriate disposal or recycling facilities. Once the removal is complete, the site would be returned to Fort Belvoir for future use.

A draft environmental review from the US Army Corps of Engineers found "there would be no significant adverse impacts on the physical, cultural, and natural environment." The decommissioning is proposed to happen between 2020 and 2025, according to the environmental review.

The nuclear power plant was active from April 1957 to March 1973. It was used to train crews that would operate the various plants in the U.S. Army Engineer Reactors Group program. Deactivation happened in 1973 and 1974, involving removal of the nuclear fuel, minor decontamination, shipment of necessary radioactive waste, sealing the pressure vessel, and installing appropriate warning signs and monitoring devices.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is accepting comments from the public through Jan. 31 about the decommissioning and dismantling of the nuclear power plant. Comments can be sent to cenab-cc@usace.army.mil or or by mail to Brenda Barber, P.E., USACE Project Manager c/o AECOM, 4840 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060.

For more information on the proposal and environmental review, visit the US Army Corps of Engineers website.