A CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. project to secure slightly irradiated nuclear fuel at Hanford is the winner of the Project of the Year Award of the Columbia River Basin Chapter of the Project Management Institute.

Workers needed to handle and securely store the fuel, which was at the Plutonium Finishing Plant, in less than 18 months to allow accelerated cleanup of the plant.

It was moved to an interim storage area at the Canister Storage Building Complex at Hanford. The project was broken into six subprojects that involved design and construction of key components.

Three other Hanford projects were nominated: Washington River Protection Solutions' work to empty waste from Tank C-110; the Mission Support Alliance's work to train new employees hired with economic stimulus money at the HAMMER training center; and CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co.'s work to prepare and transfer weapons-grade plutonium materials from the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant to the Savannah River, S.C., site.