Colorado-based contractor Hensel Phelps has been selected as construction manager and general contractor for a Department of Energy project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, part of America’s nuclear research network.
The company will build a “target station” as part of a neutron spallation project. This is where neutrons are fired at materials to help scientists to understand the properties of their atomic structure. Neutrons are chosen for this procedure because they are not repelled by the electromagnetic force.
The team at the station will work alongside those at Oak Ridge’s existing target station and the laboratory’s high-flux isotope reactor.
Hensel Phelps is currently in the preconstruction phase of the project, which includes design reviews, market analysis, value engineering and the development of a master project schedule.
The company noted on its website that the project, which will cost at least $1.8bn to build, will look for “scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs that will expedite solutions for national priorities including clean energy and global security”.
At its height, the project will employ 350 workers from an estimated 30 subcontractors. Completion is scheduled for 2032.
