Bob Pedde, the president of Westinghouse Savannah River Co., said Wednesday that the company has given restructuring plans to the Department of Energy, which has contracted Westinghouse to run the site until 2006.

"The plan is general; we haven't finished the numbers," Mr. Pedde said.

In an e-mail sent to site employees Nov. 13, Mr. Pedde said, "We can expect to have a smaller work force at the end of 2006 than we have today."

Mr. Pedde's message said Westinghouse would "potentially (be) reducing staff on a more frequent basis in relatively small numbers where needed, while still hiring or transferring people with particular required skills."

Westinghouse has been under increased pressure from DOE to run SRS more efficiently since 2002, when about 110 layoffs whittled the work force to about 13,000 people. The labor force was about double that as recently as 1991, when environmental cleanup work was in full swing.

DOE faces continued pressure to run a tighter ship, evidenced by a report put out last week by the Office of the Inspector General that said DOE's management practices remain a concern.

"The Department has traditionally faced challenges with contract administration, and the (Inspector General) continues to consider it a management challenge," the report states.

Work at the site is still focused on cleanup and new missions will keep the site open beyond 2006, though it's not clear how many jobs will remain.

Construction on a $1.6 billion nuclear fuel conversion plant is supposed to start next year and would employ about 1,000 people during construction, according to DOE plans.

The site also is one of five federal nuclear reservations vying for a Modern Pit Facility, which would manufacture plutonium pits for nuclear weapons and would employ more than 1,000 people.

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 279-6895 or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

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