Bechtel-led Team Begins Destruction of Final U.S. Stockpile of Chemical Weapons

Plant marks milestone in international treaty obligations

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Jun 19, 2019, 13:43 ET

RESTON, Va., June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With the destruction, in a sealed chamber, of one World War II-era projectile loaded with mustard agent, a Bechtel-led team in Kentucky has begun eliminating the final stockpile of U.S. chemical munitions, bringing the nation closer to its goal of permanently eradicating the weapons.

A view from the control room monitor at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant shows the first chemical weapon to be destroyed -- a 155mm artillery shell filled with mustard agent from the World War II era. The plant will destroy 523 tons of mustard and nerve agents over the next four years, eradicating the last of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile.

Scrap metal bodies from the first munitions destroyed at the Blue Grass Chemical-Agent Destruction Pilot Plant are ready to be recycled.

"Eliminating the nation's chemical weapons has been a high-priority mission for Bechtel and the government for many years," said Barbara Rusinko, president of Bechtel's Nuclear, Security & Environmental global business unit. "To reach this day, at the final site, is a milestone of international significance and I congratulate our team."

Destruction of the more than 15,000 mustard munitions will ramp up in the coming weeks at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant near Richmond, Kentucky, as the team works toward destruction of 523 tons of both mustard and nerve agent by the end of 2023. Destruction of the nerve agent is separately scheduled to begin later this year.

Dr. Charles Ball, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control, said the U.S. made the commitment in 1997 when it signed the Chemical Weapons Convention. "We made a commitment 'for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.' Every day, we are making good on the government's commitment as expeditiously as possible, while ensuring maximum protection of the public, your coworkers, and the environment."

How it works

The first munitions destroyed will be processed in a "static detonation chamber," a proven technology that uses a robust sealed chamber to heat the munitions to up to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, until they detonate or burst. The detonation and heat consume the chemical agent and a sophisticated off-gas system captures and filters the exhaust.

Later this year, a larger set of nerve agent munitions will be robotically cut open and drained, with the toxic contents chemically neutralized and then treated with superheated water and high pressure, breaking the substances down to carbon dioxide, water, and salts.

The remnants will be disposed at permitted locations offsite and process water will be recycled back to the plant.

A sister plant in Pueblo, Colorado began operations in 2016. Both sites host inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to verify compliance with the 1997 treaty, signed by more than 190 nations.

The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant was built and is being operated under contract to the Department of Defense's Program Executive Office for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass is a joint venture of Bechtel National Inc. and Parsons Government Services Inc.

Historic commitment to global security

Since the 1980s, Bechtel has had an active role in U.S. and international efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. With the destruction of the stockpiles underway in Colorado and Kentucky, along with previous projects in Alabama and Maryland, Bechtel will have safely eliminated nearly 5,000 tons of chemical weapons in rockets, artillery rounds, mortar shells, and storage canisters at four of the nine original U.S. storage depots.

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About Bechtel:

Bechtel is one of the most respected global engineering, construction, and project management companies. Together with our customers, we deliver landmark projects that create long-term progress and economic growth. Since 1898, we've completed more than 25,000 extraordinary projects across 160 countries on all 7 continents. We operate through four global businesses: Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Oil, Gas & Chemicals; and Mining & Metals. Our company and our culture are built on more than a century of leadership and a relentless adherence to our values, the core of which are safety, quality, ethics, and integrity. These values are what we believe, what we expect, what we deliver, and what we live. www.Bechtel.com

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