Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant

BGCAPP used neutralization to destroy the majority of the stockpile and Static Detonation Chamber units to augment the main plant.

The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) oversaw the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile and now is managing destruction of agent-contaminated secondary waste and closure activities.A systems contract was awarded in June 2003 to a joint venture team composed of Bechtel National, Inc., and Parsons Corporation.

Site preparation work and the construction of support buildings continued and final designs for the remaining BGCAPP facilities were completed in 2010.

Legislation enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2007 (Public Laws 110-116 and 110-181) mandated the destruction of the remaining U.S. national chemical stockpile in accordance with the April 2012 date, but in no circumstances later than December 31, 2017.

This deadline was subsequently extended to December 31, 2023, by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92).

The Department of Defense conducted studies[40] to evaluate potential impacts of the elimination of these weapons using incineration and non-incineration methods for the plant.

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.

[44] In July 2018, construction substantially completed and testing began on EDT plant equipment in remote operations mode.

It began operations on January 27, 2023, destroying the first containerized rocket warhead containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent.

The containerized rocket warheads, previously drained in the main plant during agent-destruction operations, are classified as agent-contaminated secondary waste.

Although the outreach office closed in April 2024 as part of overall BGCAPP closure activities, the BGCAPP outreach staff continues to respond to inquiries, provides information to stakeholders and guest speakers for civic groups, and interfaces with the governor-appointed Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission and its Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board.