Bechtel to Continue Supporting US Naval Reactors Program

Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation, one of the Bechtel group of companies, has been awarded contract extensions projected to be valued at approximately $13 billion by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy to continue providing management and operations services at the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories.

Under the two 5-year extensions, carried out concurrently, Bechtel will continue its work in support of the U.S. Naval Reactors Program through September 30, 2018. Bechtel has provided management and operation services for the labs since 2009 and provided management and operation services at the Bettis Laboratory for the previous 10 years, between 1999 and 2009.

“The work being done at the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories is critical to our national defense,” said Craig Albert, president of Bechtel’s government services business unit. “The dedicated men and women of Bechtel Marine Propulsion join me in thanking the Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy for their continued confidence in our capabilities and commitment to the Naval Reactors Program.”

Bechtel colleagues carry out three primary missions at the two labs. They conduct research and development in the design and operation of nuclear propulsion plants for U.S. submarines and surface ships. They provide technical support to ensure the safety and reliability of U.S. naval nuclear reactors. And they train and certify the sailors who operate those reactors for the U.S. Navy. Bechtel is also charged with the receipt and management of the U.S. Navy’s spent nuclear fuel. All of the work is carried out by approximately 7,000 employees at five primary locations in the United States: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Schenectady and West Milton, New York; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Charleston, South Carolina.

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Press Release, November 18, 2013; Image: Wikimedia