The Savannah River Site (SRS) has opened new construction areas to speed up work on the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF), part of a national effort to restore the United States’ capacity to produce plutonium pits — essential components of nuclear weapons.
Jeff Griffin, president and chief executive officer of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), described the pace of activity at the site as unprecedented.
“It’s amazing to see the scale and urgency at which dirt is moving around the SRPPF worksite with the early site preparation scopes in progress,” Griffin said. “Time is critical for this mission of national importance, and every day matters as we work to deliver SRPPF project completion by the early 2030s.”
SRNS is managing the project in partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and subcontractor Fluor Federal Services, according to a press release from SRS. The facility, once complete, will manufacture the majority of the nation’s plutonium pits.
Mike Basham, SRNS senior vice president and SRPPF project director, emphasized the importance of advancing early construction tasks.
“The SRPPF Project Execution organization is opening up additional work fronts not already in progress prior to starting Critical Decision (CD)-2/3 construction,” Basham said. “NNSA approval of CD-2/3 will establish a baseline for the project and provide authorization to proceed with full construction. In preparation for CD-2/3 approval, we’re optimizing our construction approach and opening up new work fronts to accelerate the project.”
Early preparation work includes building modifications, equipment procurement and utility installations, according to a press release from SRS. Fluor Senior Vice President and Interim SRPPF Project Director Bob Smith said progress is already visible.
“It’s nice to see visible changes both inside the facility and out. Fluor is proud to work with SRNS and our sub-tier contractors as we execute these early work scopes,” Smith said.
The SRPPF project repurposes an unfinished 400,000-square-foot facility at SRS, alongside construction of more than 20 support buildings.
At peak, the project is expected to employ over 4,000 workers, with about 2,100 permanent employees once operational.
Under federal requirements, NNSA must produce at least 80 plutonium pits per year to maintain the nuclear stockpile.
The agency’s two-site strategy calls for SRS to produce no fewer than 50 pits annually and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to produce at least 30 pits per year, according to a press release from SRS.
