FJ Sayers Dam Master Plan Revision / Missions / Environmental / SM-1A

SM-1A Stakeholder Update: 9 October 2025

As winter returns to Alaska, we are pleased to provide an update on the progress of the SM-1A Decommissioning and Dismantlement (D&D) Project at Fort Greely. Despite the current lapse in federal appropriations, our team remains steadfast in our commitment to safety, transparency, and continuity of operations. Our safety program including air and environmental monitoring, plus radiation dosimetry continues uninterrupted, ensuring the ongoing protection of the Garrison tenants and community, the public, our workforce, and the environment.

We are proud to report that 2025 has been a highly productive year for the SM-1A project. Key accomplishments include:

  • Completed removal of hazardous materials and safely demolished Building 606 North. All materials were securely packaged and moved to our on-site Waste Storage Area, awaiting shipment to a licensed disposal facility in Texas.
  • Removed the outer wall and façade around the Vapor Container, allowing access for the next steps of the project.
  • Built a new on base Waste Storage Area, an important step to safely manage and store waste throughout the project.
  • Constructed a weather enclosure over the SM-1A site, enabling safe work to continue year-round, even during winter.
  • Safely shipped 140 containers of mostly common demolition materials, to include concrete, steel, and wiring, from Fort Greely to a licensed disposal facility in Texas. Over 110 shipments have arrived, with the rest still in transit. Nearly all shipments have radiation levels similar to normal background levels, ensuring public safety during transport.

We invite you to view recent time-lapse photography and progress videos on our official project website:
https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/SM-1A/

Looking Ahead

For the remainder of 2025, our focus will shift to the installation of mechanical and electrical systems within the new weather enclosure for the SM-1A site. We will also conduct additional site characterization to further refine waste handling logistics and enhance worker safety protocols in preparation for major activities in 2026.

The upcoming year will mark a significant phase of the SM-1A decommissioning effort. Highlights include:

  • Initiation of a Level B Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) operation to safely dismantle and remove the Spent Fuel Pit. This work will serve as both a critical step in risk reduction and a proof-of-concept for subsequent radiological decommissioning efforts.
  • Transition to large-scale decommissioning and  dismantlement within the Vapor Container, including removal of AM-9 grout and reactor components.

These complex activities will be executed with rigorous safety oversight and close coordination between USACE, our prime contractor APTIM-Amentum Alaska Decommissioning, LLC (A3D), our regulator, and our partners at the Fort Greely Garrison.

We are grateful for the ongoing support of our leadership and regulator, whose engagement continues to be instrumental in guiding this project forward.

Community Engagement

In keeping with our commitment to transparency and public involvement, we will host in-person and virtual public meetings to discuss the next phases of the project:

  • November 4, 6:00–8:00 PM (AKDT)
    Delta Junction Community Center
    2287 Deborah St, Delta Junction, AK 99731
    Livestream: Watch Live
  • November 5, 6:00–8:00 PM (AKDT)
    Aurora Community Activity Center, CAC Multipurpose Room B
    2020 Robin Road BLDG 500, Fort Greely, AK 99731
    Livestream: Watch Live

These meetings are an opportunity to hear directly from the project team, ask questions, and learn more about what to expect in 2026. If you’re unable to attend, recordings will be made available on our project website shortly afterward.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains fully committed to the safe, compliant, and transparent execution of the SM-1A decommissioning. We thank you for your continued interest, support, and partnership as we work together with the contractor, the Garrison, and our regulatory partners to deliver a successful outcome for this important project.

If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly or email us at
📩 CENAB-SM1A@usace.army.mil

SM-1A Final Environmental Assessment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, has released the Final Notice of Availability (NOA), Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI), and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the proposed action to decommission and dismantle the Deactivated Stationary Medium Power Model 1A Nuclear Power Plant (SM-1A) at U.S. Army Garrison Alaska, Fort Greely, and release the property for unrestricted use. 

SM-1A Nuclear Power Plant Overview

The SM-1A Nuclear Power Plant is located in central Alaska, approximately 6 miles south of Delta Junction on the Fort Greely Military Reservation. Fort Greely is approximately 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks and 225 miles northeast of Anchorage.

The construction of the SM-1A at Fort Greely began in 1958 and was completed in 1962 with first criticality achieved on 13 March 1962. The design was based on the concept of the SM-1 reactor at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, a prototype for stationary medium-power plants (“SM”). The “1A” moniker designates it as the first field plant of its type.

It was designed to be used as an “inservice” test facility for this type of equipment in an arctic environment with its primary mission being to supply electrical power and heating steam for the utility systems at Fort Greely. The secondary mission was to study the economics of operating a nuclear-type electrical plant compared to conventional oil-fired systems in a remote area where fuel costs are high and supply lines unusually long. The SM-1A was a 20.2 megawatt-thermal (MWt) pressurized water reactor which could supply 72,000 pounds of saturated steam per hour. The reactor used uranium oxide, highly enriched in U-235 and clad in stainless steel, as fuel. Due to the high operating costs and the projected cost of replacing the reactor pressure vessel, a decision was made to shut the plant down by 1968.

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This decision was reversed when an annealing process was utilized to extend the vessel’s lifetime. Additionally, it was thought that continued operation would offer opportunities for experience and information about the reliability and lifetime of nuclear plants. By modifying an unused core procured for the portable medium-power PM-2A Nuclear Power Plant (Greenland) and using other spare fuel elements, an additional core was assembled, prolonging the active use of the SM-1A for five more years.

The final shutdown was performed on the SM-1A Reactor in March 1972, in accordance with the SM-1A Decommissioning Plan as approved by the Army Reactor Systems Health and Safety Review Committee (ARCHS). This consisted of removal of the nuclear fuel, minor decontamination, shipment of pre-packaged radioactive waste, encasing certain reactor components (vapor container, waste tanks, and demineralizer room), sealing the pressure vessel, and installing appropriate warning signs and monitoring devices. Certain areas were maintained as restricted areas for radiation safety considerations.

This method of decommissioning was selected due to the low initial cost and low personnel radiation exposure. Future remediation was to take place at a time when radiation levels and quantities of radioactive waste were significantly reduced due to radioactive decay.

In 1995, Fort Greely was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure list. As part of the BRAC, certain areas associated with the SM-1A were investigated and remediated. Three specific areas were released under a Record of Decision, BRAC Site 90, BRAC Site 132, and Wastewater Pipeline Station 21+25.The AHA process supplies information to support the decommissioning study process outlined in Army Regulation 50-7. This process is performed by USACE, at the direction of the Army Reactor Office, to better define disposal activity costs.

SM-1 A Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant NoticeThe decommissioning strategy that was developed in the 1970's recommended that the deactivated reactors be placed into a safe storage mode that would allow the shorter-lived radionuclides to decay. It was expected that delaying decommissioning would reduce radioactive waste volumes and worker exposures. However, preliminary studies indicated that the levels of contamination present within the reactors would not be reduced by decay sufficiently to allow for release of the facilities without significant decontamination being performed. Additionally, concern regarding the increasing cost and decreasing availability of radioactive waste disposal led the Army Reactor Office (ARO) to recommend that an assessment be performed of the SM-1A reactor to allow for a more accurate decommissioning cost estimate to be developed which addresses projected changes in disposal options.

USACE developed a management plan for conducting an AHA, which contained provisions for four phases of work to be performed. Phase I included a Historical Records Review and Disposal Alternatives Investigation. Phase II, included performing a characterization survey and decommissioning cost estimate. Initial Phase II efforts were completed in 2015. Phases III and IV deal with decommissioning planning, design, and execution.

Public Outreach Meeting Info

The SM-1A team will host in-person and virtual public meetings in November 2025 to discuss the next phases of the project: 

  • November 4, 6:00–8:00 PM (AKDT) | Delta Junction Community Center 2287 Deborah St, Delta Junction, AK 99731 | Livestream: Watch Live
  • November 5, 6:00–8:00 PM (AKDT) | Aurora Community Activity Center, CAC Multipurpose Room B 2020 Robin Road BLDG 500, Fort Greely, AK 99731 | Livestream: Watch Live

Contact Information

MAILING ADDRESS
US Army Corps of Engineers – Baltimore District
PO Box 31030
Fort Greely, AK 99731

To join our stakeholder list and receive email updates, please email us:   CENAB-SM1A@usace.army.mil

Please direct any inquiries regarding contracting opportunities to Leigha Arnold.

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