[en] As part of the Shippingport Decommissioning Project surface decontamination effort vacuum blasting techniques were utilized to remove fixed radioactive contamination entrained in steel and concrete painted surfaces to meet on-site and off-site release limits. Removal of contaminated paint by vacuum blasting was restricted to select areas of the project. Specifically, this technique was applied only when it was determined to be cost effective compared to other methods of paint removal or direct disposal of the bulk material as contaminated waste. As a result of pre-decontamination surveys it was determined that the lower portions of the Reactor Plant Container painted steel surface was eligible for this surface decontamination technique. 3 refs., 1 tab