Savannah River Site (SRS) has recently announced that they have completed the first phase of construction on the new plutonium processing facility.
The dismantlement and removal (D&R) of commodities and equipment throughout the current plutonium processing facility was completed in June 2024. It took 18 months to complete the (D&R) of the current facility, which was installed by the Mixed Oxide (MOX) project.
“Constructing the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) is a directive from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and this is one of the top projects within Nuclear Security Enterprise today,” said Dennis Carr, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) president and chief executive officer. “Reaching this milestone at SRS allows crews to begin the next stages of work in the field to build this pit production facility for our country.”
The NNSA plans to create at least 80 pits per year at facilities at SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico. Having a pit is important with every nuclear weapon.
SRS will construct the new plutonium processing facility through repurposing the facility created by MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility. This allows them to use an existing, qualified structure that already has supporting facilities and existing SRS services and infrastructure.
SRS used the subcontractor Aecon-Wachs to dismantle and remove equipment like HVAC ducts, piping, electrical conduits, pumps, tanks, and gloveboxes without damaging the reusable items.
They removed a total of 2,535 gross tons of materials from the building, and these materials were sent offsite for recycling.
“It was very challenging work, and the completion of D&R shows we’re making great progress,” said Jon Lunn, SRNS senior vice president and SRPFF project director.
In 2022, SRNS entered a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with the Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council in support of construction with the new facility. There will be about 2,500 construction and trade union jobs available throughout the entire SRPFF project.
“The nation called upon the Savannah Rive Site during the Cold War, and we delivered,” said Carr. “The United States is once again calling on SRS to enhance stability and security for our country, our allies, and our partners. We are answering this challenge to bring forth this production capability, and we will deliver.”
