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BIGGE AWARDED DECOMMISSIONING CONTRACT AT RANCHO SECO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

SAN LEANDRO, Calif., April 5, 2004- Bigge Power Constructors was awarded a contract by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to perform decommissioning services at Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant starting in Spring 2004 with an estimated project duration of four (4) years. 

The 913 MW Pressurized Water Reactor at the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant, located about 25 miles south of Sacramento, is owned by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and was in operation from April 1975 to June 7, 1989. It was closed by public referendum.

Under the contract Bigge will provide Engineering, Construction and Other Staffing, rental of construction and other project equipment, procurement of related materials and a number of others scopes of work for the district.  "The experience and know-how that Bigge brings to the Rancho Seco Project is expected to result in many successes in completion of the decommissioning process" said Dennis Gardiner, Decommissioning Project Manager.

As part of the decommissioning scope of work, Bigge will employ all the field craft and professional positions at Rancho Seco including radiological consultants, radiological engineers, civil engineers, structural engineers, electrical engineers, project managers, schedulers, site supervisors, site superintendents, ironworkers, electricians, carpenters, teamsters and operating engineers.  “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with SMUD on this next phase of the decommissioning process at Rancho Seco,” said Thom Bostrom, Vice President of Bigge.  “This is an important and high profile project which we are honored to be a part of.”

Bigge has worked for SMUD at Rancho Seco beginning with the original construction   Bigge delivered and installed the original reactor, steam generator and the pressurizer to the plant in 1971.  As part of the decommissioning, Bigge was responsible for emptying the spent fuel pool and placing the fuel rods in dry cask storage.  Additionally, as part of this contract, Bigge transported the licensed MP187 transportation cask from York, Pennsylvania to the Rancho Seco site.  Bigge also removed the missile shield as part of the decommissioning process.  Then, in 2003, Bigge removed the 525 ton  generator and transported it to Surry Generating Station in Surry, Virginia. 

The Bigge Group (www.bigge.com) is a leading provider of heavy lifting and transportation equipment and project services to nuclear, fossil power generators as well as general  industry.  Bigge’s project services provide innovative rigging and transportation solutions for industrial, commercial and government applications.  Bigge designs, builds and operates systems for hoisting and transporting heavy lift and over-dimensional items.

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