PASADENA, CA (April 8, 2016) – Parsons is pleased to announce that the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) project in Aiken, SC, has received a Secretarial Department of Energy (DOE) Award for Project Management Improvement. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall presented the award on March 23, 2016, at a ceremony in Arlington, VA. The award cites the project team’s innovative practices, which “positioned the project for the completion of construction activities ahead of the target date and under the target cost.” Parsons is the prime contractor on the project, responsible for design, construction, commissioning, and conducting the first year of operations.

“Delivering the Salt Waste Processing Facility on time and under budget while maintaining our high standards for safety and quality has been a high priority for Parsons,” stated Mary Ann Hopkins, Parsons Group President. “I’m proud of our team for developing the innovative practices needed to complete this highly complex, one-of-a-kind project, and I’m grateful to the DOE for recognizing their achievement.”

“Working with the Federal Project Director and DOE staff, we’ve implemented numerous strategies to safely and efficiently accelerate the schedule, and we have seen very positive results over the past 30 months,” added Frank Sheppard, Parsons Senior Vice President and Project Manager. “Our focus on safety, as well as the emphasis we’ve placed on aligning our engineering, construction, and commissioning groups, has really put us in a position to succeed.”

The SWPF is a $2.3 billion project designed to process radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the Savannah River Site. Construction of the facility is among the DOE’s highest environmental cleanup priorities and is a key component of its commitment to reducing risk at the site. Construction of the facility, currently at 98%, is expected to be completed this month. Once this milestone is achieved, the project will enter the startup and commissioning phase, with processing of radioactive waste planned to begin in late 2018.