Category: Press Releases

January 11, 2024

CARLSBAD, N.M.  ̶ The U.S. Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant had a safe and productive 2023. Watch the year-end accomplishments video.

Company selects eleven teachers from Eddy and Lea Counties

CARLSBAD, N.M.  ̶  Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO) recently announced the company awarded $13,000 in STEM Teacher Mini-Grants to 11 area teachers throughout Eddy and Lea counties as part of its 2023 Education Outreach Community Commitment Plan.

SIMCO’s Mini-Grant program encourages, promotes and coordinates STEM education, along with a broader focus of incorporating a “hands on” approach in the classroom. Awards ranged from $750 to $1,500.

“We recognize the time and dedication our local area teachers have invested in STEM throughout their tenure. An education focused in the area of STEM is something that will benefit students throughout their lives, and we, as a company, are pleased to be able to present these teachers with mini-grants,” said Dr. Joy James-Foster, SIMCO’s Senior Education Outreach Lead.

STEM Teacher Mini-Grant awardees included:

Carlsbad Municipal Schools: Richard Cadizal, Maria Huerta, Brett Katz, Melissa Otto, Jason Quintana, Veronica Schrock, Michael Stokum and Lisa West

Hobbs Municipal Schools: Monica Garcia, Lindsey Jurado and Allison Wright

About SIMCO

Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO) was formed to support the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. SIMCO’s member is Bechtel National Inc. and its WIPP team includes Los Alamos Technical Associates as a teaming subcontractor.

CARLSBAD, N.M., December 6, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has accomplished an EM 2023 priority to complete and dispose of 400 transuranic (TRU) waste shipments while striving to ensure no backlog of shipments from cleanup at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) site in New Mexico.

“Exceeding 400 transuranic waste shipments to WIPP this year is a positive indication of the cleanup work we’re enabling throughout the nation,” said Mark Bollinger, EM’s Carlsbad Field Office manager. “WIPP’s mission to safely receive and dispose of waste shipments is instrumental to cleanup efforts at Los Alamos and other waste-generating sites, and we safely exceeded our goal at WIPP in 2023.”

In early 2023, Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO) became the management and operations prime contractor at WIPP overseeing a workforce of nearly 1,500.

In October, WIPP received its 400th shipment of the year and SIMCO continued steady waste shipments from generator sites, working especially closely with LANL to ship available waste with no delays. Generator sites are located throughout the U.S., including LANL, Idaho National Laboratory and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

“I’m especially proud of everyone embodying the core values of safety, quality and productivity as we characterized, packed, shipped, received and emplaced each waste container this year,” said Tammy Hobbes, a SIMCO vice president and the WIPP Operations and National TRU Program manager.

Located in Southeast New Mexico about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, WIPP was constructed in the 1980s for disposal of defense-generated TRU waste. The repository is carved out of a 2,000-foot-thick salt bed formed 250 million years ago. TRU waste is disposed of 2,150 feet underground in rooms mined from the salt bed.

CARLSBAD, N.M. – Members of the EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) workforce recently met an EM 2023 priority when they began commissioning the site’s new large-scale ventilation system, also known as the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS).

When completed and online, the SSCVS facility — the largest containment ventilation system in the DOE complex — will significantly increase airflow to the WIPP underground, the nation’s only deep geological salt repository for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste.

Commissioning kicked off as crews began testing the first set of electrical cables that will supply power to SSCVS mechanical equipment, such as motors, fans and massive air filtration units.

“This achievement is the culmination of many people’s efforts to support the engineering, procurement and construction of WIPP’s SSCVS project,” said Ralph Musick, Capital Asset Projects manager for Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, WIPP’s management and operations contractor. “Initiating commissioning is a careful, step-by-step process to eventually integrate the SSCVS into daily WIPP operations.”

As facility construction nears completion, key systems are individually turned over to commissioning for methodical testing to ensure each component and system can be energized and functions as designed. When system testing has been completed, integrated testing is performed to assure that all components of the facility work together properly. After all testing, the facility is handed over to trained WIPP operations personnel to bring the new facility online.

The SSCVS works in tandem with a new air utility shaft, also under construction at WIPP. The shaft sends additional air into the 2,150-foot-deep WIPP underground repository, and the SSCVS pulls air through the repository, removes salt and filters the air before it’s released to the environment. When fully online, the new ventilation will increase underground airflow from 170,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) up to 540,000 cfm. Increased airflow will allow for simultaneous underground waste emplacement, mining and bolting activities. Bolting controls the movement of salt rock — known as salt creep — in the WIPP underground.

SSCVS – a ‘safety first’ design

The system serves as an added safety defense in the unlikely event of a radiological incident in the WIPP underground by directing airflow from the underground facility to a series of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units.

“The SSCVS will enhance the quantity, and quality, of air flow for our workforce in the WIPP underground mine,” said Michael Gerle, Environmental Regulatory Compliance director for EM’s Carlsbad Field Office. “Additionally, the new infrastructure will ensure our operations remain safe for the environment and the public.”

The SSCVS project includes two primary buildings, the Salt Reduction Building and the New Filter Building. The former pre-filters salt-laden air coming from the WIPP underground, while the latter has fans and HEPA filtration to further remove contaminants from the exhaust air.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SIMCO employee committee chooses eight non-profits from Eddy, Lea counties

CARLSBAD, N.M.  ̶  Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO) announced it has awarded $50,000 in grants to eight community non-profit organizations as part of the company’s first-ever Employee Investment Advisory Committee grants program.

The award recipients were selected by the new SIMCO Employee Investment Advisory Committee composed of 12 employees, who chose Eddy and Lea counties’ education, health and human services, and economic sustainability as focus areas for the year.

Launching the committee fulfilled a pledge made by SIMCO in its 2023 Community Commitment Plan, which was developed collaboratively with SIMCO’s member Bechtel National Inc., and community leaders and organizations. Committee members were nominated by SIMCO managers and were selected for exemplifying the company’s core values, delivery of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) mission and commitment to community. Members are non-managerial SIMCO employees and will serve on the Committee for two-year terms.

SIMCO President and Program Manager Ken Harrawood praised the tremendous and very difficult job the committee did in making its selections from among 27 proposals submitted to Eddy-and-Lea-county non-profit agencies.

“I firmly believe our employees have always been — and will continue to be — our most important asset, not only to fulfill WIPP’s national cleanup mission, but also in sharing their time, talents and expertise to improve our local communities,” Harrawood told an audience that had packed the Carlsbad Museum’s Hall of Fame Exhibit room for an Oct. 24 awards reception.

“Likewise, our local and regional nonprofit agencies provide some of the most critical services to meet perhaps the most pressing challenges facing our communities and families today. For those reasons, SIMCO is proud to have our employees and local nonprofits partner in a meaningful way that is making a positive impact in our communities.”

The eight grant recipients were: Affirming Hearts Victim Services, Carlsbad Downtown Lion’s Club, Carlsbad Literacy Program, Packs for Hunger, MyPower Inc., Sheri’s House of Hope, Southeast New Mexico Community Action Corporation, and Weekend Hunger Initiative (WHI) Hobbs.

About SIMCO

Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO) was formed to support the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. SIMCO’s member is Bechtel National Inc. and its WIPP team includes Los Alamos Technical Associates as a teaming subcontractor.

EDDY COUNTY, N.M. – Salado Isolation Mining Contractors LLC, Edgewater Federal Solutions, Los Alamos Technical Associates, and Edgewater Technical Associates announced a collaborative partnership to fund STOP THE BLEED kits for the Artesia Public Schools staff.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant contractors realize the importance of safety, not only at the work place, but in everyday life. These kits are just another way WIPP continues to place the safety of the local communities first.

A total contribution of $15,000 was made to the Eddy County Office of Emergency Management STOP THE BLEED fund. STOP THE BLEED is one of the largest public health campaigns allowing trainers to better prepare the public to save lives by raising awareness of basic actions to stop life threatening bleeding resulting from a traumatic injury.

WIPP and its contractors continue to thrive and embody an active culture of giving and serving in the communities our workforce calls home.

CARLSBAD, N.M., October 25, 2023 – The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) recently marked a significant accomplishment when critical infrastructure that will supply air for the largest safety-related ventilation system in the DOE complex reached its final depth of 2,275 feet — after claiming an EM 2023 priority along the way.

The new air intake shaft — the underground waste repository’s largest utility shaft at 26 feet in diameter — supports the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS), which will increase underground airflow from 170,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) to 540,000 cfm.

Increased airflow will allow for simultaneous waste emplacement, mining and bolting to take place in the underground at WIPP, the nation’s only repository for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste. Bolting controls the movement of salt rock — known as salt creep — in the WIPP underground.

“Reaching this milestone is a real tribute to the crews who worked safely and compliantly around the clock,” said Mark Bollinger, EM Carlsbad Field Office manager. “Congratulations to the workforce on this big step toward the creation of more airflow in the WIPP underground, an important part of the new WIPP infrastructure.”

Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), WIPP’s management and operations contractor, is overseeing the SSCVS and utility shaft projects. Crews from SIMCO’s subcontractor, the joint partnership of Harrison Western and Shaft Sinkers, reached the shaft bottom by working a 24/7 schedule to support the project.

“Completion to depth is a great achievement,” said Ken Harrawood, SIMCO president and program manager. “This milestone sets the stage for all of our future progress to the west including Panel 11.”

The drilling crews reached the depth of the WIPP waste disposal rooms in early July, achieving the EM 2023 priority ahead of schedule. Horizontal passageways were created on either side of the shaft. These will be further mined to connect to the existing WIPP underground and provide access drifts, or connecting passageways, for new waste disposal panels that have been authorized at WIPP.

The final depth of the air intake shaft, at 2,275 feet, provides space below the repository level for work areas and infrastructure, such as communications and electricity that will support mining activities.

Located in Southeast New Mexico about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, WIPP was constructed in the 1980s for disposal of defense-generated TRU waste. The repository is carved out of a 2,000-foot-thick salt bed formed 250 million years ago. TRU waste is disposed of 2,150 feet underground in rooms mined from the salt bed.

Carlsbad, NM., September 25, 2023 – Salado Isolation Mining Contractors is now accepting
applications for our STEM Education Mini- grants. Teachers in K-12 schools in Eddy and Lea counties
are eligible to submit applications for support of classroom science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM) projects.

Teachers submitting applications should focus on STEM relevance. In addition to traditional STEM
projects, a related arts teacher might apply for a grant for students to explore the lives of
scientists, mathematicians, etc., or for materials to develop problem-solving or other critical
thinking skills. The online application, along with information about proposal and evaluation
criteria, is available at https://form.jotform.com/230515696966065

Grants are available in three levels:

• Single classroom: $750
• Multiple classroom: $1,000
• Entire school: $1,500

SIMCO will accept applications online from September 25 until 5 p.m. on October 25, 2023. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Winners will be notified no later than November 13, 2023.

For more information about the SIMCO Education Mini-Grants Program, contact Dr. Joy James-Foster, SIMCO Communications, at (575) 234-7512 or joy.james-foster@wipp.ws

SIMCO Media Contact:
Ekta Bhakta
(832) 689-1049
Ekta.bhakta@wipp.ws

CARLSBAD, New Mexico—Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO) announces a Request for Grant Proposals. The SIMCO Employee Investment Advisory Committee is accepting proposals from nonprofit agencies within Eddy and Lea Counties (individual and non-charitable organizations are not eligible). Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for grants to enrich the lives of people in Southeast New Mexico.

The priorities for funding are:

• Continued Education
• Health & Human Services
• Economic Sustainability

The mission of the SIMCO Employee Investment Advisory Grant Fund is to allocate company-funded grants, where the need is greatest, using the collective skills and knowledge of our employees to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. Our SIMCO Employee Investment Advisory Committee is representative of our diverse workforce and comprised of selected non-managerial employees who have been recognized for their leadership qualities by both their managers and peers. This innovative approach gives our employees direct influence where a portion of SIMCO charitable contributions are made, extending our funding across a wider array of regional nonprofit organizations.

Applications are available online at https://simco-llc.us/investment-advisory-committee/. Applications can be mailed or personally delivered and are due Friday September 15^th, 2023 by 5:00 p.m.  If you have any questions, please contact Community Relations & Charitable Giving Coordinator Ekta Bhakta at 832.689.1049 or ekta.bhakta@wipp.ws.

CARLSBAD, N.M., July 11, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office announced today that excavation crews recently attained a milestone in the construction of a new utility shaft at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

They’ve reached an underground depth, known as station depth, that allows horizontal tunneling work to begin on connecting the shaft to the WIPP repository complex. The repository sits at 2,150 feet below ground level.

“This is a hugely significant step in increasing airflow in the WIPP underground,” said Mark Bollinger, manager of DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office. “Congratulations to the crews, who have safely and compliantly worked around the clock to make continual progress on an important part of the new WIPP infrastructure.”

The utility shaft, WIPP’s largest at 26 feet in diameter when completed, will provide air to the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System (SSCVS), the largest safety-related ventilation system in the DOE complex. That system and the utility shaft are being built by Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), DOE’s management and operations contractor at WIPP.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our WIPP workforce,” said Ken Harrawood, SIMCO President and Program manager. “The new utility shaft is a key component of the SSCVS that, when online, will enhance WIPP’s capability to deliver the nation and New Mexico’s cleanup mission.”

The SSCVS will provide increased airflow that allows simultaneous mining, rock bolting, waste emplacement and maintenance operations. Bolting controls the movement of salt rock — known as salt creep — in the WIPP underground.

Reaching the station depth was a culmination of nearly three years of construction and mining work as crews overcame unique challenges. Work on the utility shaft started in late 2019, was paused in late 2020 for one year during the pandemic, and the State of New Mexico authorized a restart in November 2021.

Crews from Harrison Western-Shaft Sinkers Joint Partnership, SIMCO’s shaft subcontractor, work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They set charges to blast half of the shaft circle at a time, excavating and removing the debris to the surface, before repeating on the other side of the circle.

Work in the shaft is conducted from a Galloway, a five-story tall, multilevel platform. As it descended into the shaft, crews installed concrete liner of varying thickness down to 873 feet, where an ancient salt layer begins. From there to the final planned depth of the shaft bottom at 2,275 feet, crews will install rock bolts and metal mesh to control loose rock.

Located in southeast New Mexico about 26 miles from Carlsbad, WIPP was constructed in the 1980s for disposal of defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste. The repository is carved out of a 2,000-foot-thick salt bed formed 250 million years ago. TRU waste is disposed of 2,150 feet underground in rooms mined from the salt bed.