Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant
The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) is a chemical weapons destruction facility built to destroy the chemical weapons stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), near Richmond, Kentucky. The plant is dedicated to the destruction of of nerve agents sarin (GB) and VX, and mustard agent, which constitute about two percent of the United States chemical weapons stockpile. Since 1944, the U.S. Army has stored approximately two percent of its original chemical weapons stockpile at BGAD consisting of 155mm projectiles 155mm projectiles, 8-inch projectiles and M55  rockets. BGCAPP is using neutralization to destroy the remaining stockpile in the main plant and Static Detonation Chamber technology to augment the main plant. Destruction of this stockpile is a requirement of the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty to which the United States is a party. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention and monitors the progress of the nation's chemical weapons destruction programs. The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) oversees the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile. Planning and organization. A  systems contract was awarded in June 2003 to a joint venture team composed of Bechtel National, Inc., and Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, Inc. The Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass team is contracted to develop a design-build plan and then design, construct, systemize, operate and close BGCAPP. In March 2005 the design-build-operate-close schedule was extended to make the program more affordable on an annual basis. Site preparation work and the construction of support buildings continued and final designs for the remaining BGCAPP facilities were completed in 2010. In June 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber began destroying mustard  agent-filled projectiles. In January 2020, the BGCAPP main plant facility began processing nerve agent-filled projectiles. The destruction operations are expected to be complete by 2023. The plant will operate until all the chemical weapons have been destroyed. Closure activities (shut-down, dismantling, and restoration of site) are slated to be wrapped up by 2026. This schedule exceeds the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Legislation enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2007 (Public Laws 110-116 and 110-181) mandates the destruction of the remaining U.S. national chemical stockpile in accordance with the April 2012 date, but in  no circumstances later than Dec. 31, 2017. This deadline was subsequently extended to Dec. 31, 2023, by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92). Technology. The Department of Defense conducted studies to evaluate potential impacts of the elimination of these weapons using incineration and non-incineration methods for the plant. Four technologies were considered: Neutralization. The Department of Defense selected neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation for use at the depot. In 2020, the decision was made to not use the supercritical water oxidation system and instead ship the nerve agent hydrolysate to a  permitted treatment, storage and disposal facility. The neutralization method consists of the following steps: Explosive Destruction Technology (EDT). After an X-ray assessment of the mustard munitions stockpile showed that the agent had significantly solidified in the rounds—making removal of mustard agent from projectiles difficult using neutralization—ACWA decided to explore use of Explosive Destruction Technology (aka Explosive Demolition Technology, Explosive Detonation Technology, EDT) for these projectiles. EDT uses heat/pressure from explosion or just heat to destroy the munitions; it is not considered incineration and does not require disassembly of the weapons. There are three general types of  technologies that can destroy chemical weapons: Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass received approval from PEO ACWA to begin initial work on an Explosive Destruction Technology system at the Blue Grass plant. Following a competitive procurement process, Bechtel Parsons selected the Static Detonation Chamber. In June 2015, the SDC completed Factory Acceptance Testing at the Dynasafe workshop in Kristinehamn, Sweden. The SDC was assembled and installed in 2016. In May 2018, EDT technicians brought the air filtration system online for the first time. In July 2018, construction substantially completed and testing began on EDT plant equipment in remote operations mode. In February  2019, a total of 24 B586 conventional munitions were processed in the Static Detonation Chamber as part of systemization activities. In June 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber entered the operations phase with the successful destruction of the first mustard agent-filled munition on June 7. In 2019, due to worker safety concerns, a decision was made to discontinue use of the Energetics Neutralization System to process M55 rocket warheads that have been drained of their nerve agent. Instead, these drained warheads, along with overpacked M55 rockets, will be processed in the SDC 1200 or a larger SDC 2000, which is  in the process of being procured and permitted. The nerve agent will be processed through the plant's Agent Neutralization System as originally planned. On Sept. 4, 2021, the final mustard 155mm projectiles in Kentucky were destroyed in the Static Detonation Chamber. Static Detonation Chamber (SDC). BGCAPP will use an additional SDC to destroy a portion of the nerve agent munitions, including full M55 rocket overpacks and rocket components. In September 2019, BGCAPP received state approval to begin work on the second SDC. Workers broke ground Jan. 22, 2020 for the site of the new SDC 2000. The site  will include the main structure housing the detonation chamber, a storage magazine and support buildings. It will be a stand-alone facility next to the main plant. SDC 2000 operations are expected to begin in 2022. In September 2021, after the final mustard munition was destroyed at BGCAPP, the current SDC began a changeover process. This SDC, now referred to as the SDC 1200, will process drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual VX nerve agent. SDC 1200 operations are expected to begin in 2022. Public outreach. The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office was established to serve as the community 's primary information resource on chemical weapons destruction in Kentucky. The office responds to inquiries, provides information materials and coordinates guest speakers for a variety of different civic groups and organizations and interfaces with the governor-appointed Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission and its Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board.