Army Corps to decommission and dismantle historic, deactivated nuclear power plant at Fort Belvoir

Aerial view of the former SM-1 nuclear power plant on Fort Belvoir in the 1960s. The facility provided limited power to Fort Belvoir and served as a training facility before being deactivated in 1973. SM-1 was partially decommissioned from 1973 into 1974, which consisted of the removal of the majority of the site’s radioactivity. This included the removal of nuclear fuel and control rods, minor decontamination, shipment of radioactive waste, sealing of the reactor pressure vessel, and installing appropriate warning signs and monitoring devices. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract August 27, 2020 for the final decommissioning, dismantling and disposal of the facility.