| Home | Tours will be held on Friday
| Bechtel Hanford Vitrification Plant | | 
| Cost: $25 Time: 1-4pm Meeting Location: Red Lion Lobby Requirements: -U.S. Citizenship -Clothing requirements:
-sturdy boots that cover the ankle (no tennis
shoes, dress shoes, or
sandals) -full length pants -sleeves at least four inches from shoulder *cell phones and cameras are not allowed on site* | The 50-mile stretch of the Columbia
River known as the Hanford Reach is the last free flowing section of
the river in the U.S. This natural wonder is now a national monument.
A few miles west of the river, 53
million gallons of radioactive and chemical wastes are stored in 177
underground tanks, a deadly legacy from the World War II and Cold War
eras.
| 
| To address this problem, the U.S.
Department of Energy contracted Bechtel National, Inc. to design, construct,
and commission a complex treatment plant that will vitrify Hanford’s
tank waste by blending it with molten glass and placing it in stainless
steel canisters. In this form, the waste will remain stable and impervious
to the environment while its’ radioactivity dissipates over hundreds
to thousands of years. The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization
Plant, also known as the Vit Plant, is a 65-acre complex with four major
nuclear facilities, as well as operations and maintenance buildings,
utilities, and office space. Construction started in 2001, and the Vit
Plant will be operational in 2019.
During this tour participants will
walk through the 65-acre construction site, view in-progress construction
activities, and learn about the vitrification process.
| | | | Infinia Corporation & Powers Winery |
| Cost: $30* Time: 1-5pm Meeting Location: Red Lion Lobby Requirements: Sturdy, closed toed shoes *Participants under age 21 will receive a $5 refund*
For nearly a quarter of a century,
Infinia has pioneered new ways to meet the world’s needs for electricity,
heating and cooling. Infinia has developed and is about to launch
the Infinia Solar System. This product is the world's first solar
power generation system suitable for automotive scale manufacturing
and deployment ranging from small arrays to thousands of units deployed
in utility scale solar power plants. | 
| 
|
The vision of Infinia is
to improve the quality of life on our planet by changing the way the
world uses energy. Their corporate headquarters is in Kennewick, Washington. During this 1 hour tour, participants
will see the manufacturing and Research and Development facility and
learn more about Infinia Corporation and their products.
Following the tour of Infinia's manufacturing plant, participants will head to Powers Winery for wine tasting.
| Second
generation winemaker Greg Powers has a deep affinity for the Columbia
Valley and its viticulture. He grew up in the region’s spectacular farm
country and helped his father Bill plant and manage Badger Mountain
Vineyard. Today, Greg carries on the family traditions of sustainable
farming and the passionate production of exceptional wines. Under
Greg’s leadership, Powers Winery has been recognized as a “rising star”
by Wine Spectator, and as one of the “50 Great U.S. Cabernet Producers”
by Wine Enthusiast.
Powers wines are creatively blended and
crafted to showcase Washington state’s distinctive vineyards and robust
and diverse microclimates. Deeply rooted in long term relationships
with premium Washington state growers, Powers sources a variety of the
highest quality fruit to consistently produce compelling wines of
uncommon depth, complexity and harmony. Our Reserve Meritage is an
excellent example of blending premiere vineyards, while our other
Reserve selections spotlight wines from a single expressive vineyard.
All Powers wines reflect a devotion, experience and integrity that
result in wines worthy to carry the family name. | | | | Hanford B Reactor | This tour may become available at a later date. Registrants will be notified if this tour is added. | 
| B
Reactor, the world's first industrial-scale nuclear reactor, was built
during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to
develop the atomic bomb.
One of three plutonium production
reactors built in total secrecy at Hanford during World War II, B
Reactor produced plutonium for the Trinity test at Alamagordo, New
Mexico, on July 16, 1945, and for the atomic bomb exploded on Nagasaki
on August 9, 1945. |
|