Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Technical and Regulatory Services

Sigma Science supported the Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM, from February 2019 to December 2020, a 22-month contract valued at $300K. The contract scope called for “Conduct of Operations” mentors, who were instrumental in WIPP restart operations. The scope also included the following services:

Key contract activities include:

• Providing subject matter experts (SMEs) and technical expertise for managing technical staff for compliance with environmental statutes and regulations.
• Providing technical review for compliance-related documents and submittals.
• Developing position papers regarding compliance-related issues and topics at the request of nationwide permits (NWPs).

Key contract accomplishments include:

• Providing “Conduct of Operations” mentors for restart of WIPP operations.
• Acting as the Authorization Basis Expert for the Conduct of Operations organization.
• Developing or revising Technical Safety Requirement support procedures (e.g., waste permitting, Conduct of Operations implementation).
• Supporting the completion of management assessments based on Accident Investigation Board Judgments of Need from Fire and Radiological Events (234 actions), further evaluating compliance with DOE O 422.1, Conduct of Operations, and revising the Conduct of Operations Matrix.