Savannah River Site
A DOE site in South Carolina supporting nuclear materials management, tritium production, high-level waste treatment, and planned plutonium pit production.
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Savannah River Site to be transferred to NNSA control by 2025, DOE confirms
The National Nuclear Security Administration will take over the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., by 2025, and the transition has started, the Department of Energy confirmed Tuesday. The former plutonium production site is currently the responsibility of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), the part of the agency responsible for cleaning up shuttered Manhattan […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Parts of Savannah River pit plant could be under construction by year’s end, site prime says
Subcontractors could begin building a planned plutonium pit factory at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., by Dec. 31, the site’s prime contractor said Monday in a press release. “Construction is expected to begin before the end of this year,” the Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions wrote in the release. “Approximately 2,500 skilled craft […]
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National Laboratories
Demand boom predicted for glove boxes in coming years
KNOXVILLE, TENN. —The Department of Energy’s planned expansion of plutonium pit production at sites in New Mexico and South Carolina and other missions figure to drive a big jump in demand for glove box facilities in the near future, two speakers told the Energy Technology & Environmental Business Association conference here Thursday. Between 2022 and […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Savannah River Site to be transferred to NNSA control by 2025, DOE confirms
The National Nuclear Security Administration will take over the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., by 2025, and the transition has started, the Department of Energy confirmed Tuesday. The former plutonium production site is currently the responsibility of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), the part of the agency responsible for cleaning up shuttered Manhattan […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Parts of Savannah River pit plant could be under construction by year’s end, site prime says
Subcontractors could begin building a planned plutonium pit factory at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C., by Dec. 31, the site’s prime contractor said Monday in a press release. “Construction is expected to begin before the end of this year,” the Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions wrote in the release. “Approximately 2,500 skilled craft […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Tropical storm Ian hits Savannah River Site with high winds
Tropical Storm Ian was expected to bring wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour Friday to Aiken County, S.C., and the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts of up to 36 miles per hour were expected later Friday evening, with up to an inch-and-a-half of […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP to finish fiscal 2022 well below 300 shipments
The head of the Department of Energy field office overseeing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M., expects the facility to finish fiscal 2022 with 225 shipments of transuranic waste, short of its target of 299. As of Aug. 29, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has received 217 shipments of defense-related transuranic waste […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Accelerated de-inventory plan keeps Savannah River flexible, DOE manager says
Expedited spent fuel removal is underway at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, now that the agency has decided not to recover high-enriched uranium from the L-Basin storage area, a manager told a federal advisory board Tuesday. “We just kept recovering and kept recovering … and we did not have a […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
GAO seeks independent review of DOE cleanup’s end state contract model
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management should bring in an outside entity to gauge the effectiveness of the overhauled procurement strategy implemented in 2019 to improve its multi-billion-dollar nuclear cleanup operation, the Government Accountability Office said Wednesday. The head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) should also develop specific performance goals for […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Going back to a solar power future at Savannah River Site
The Department of Energy is “resurrecting” a proposal to build a 10-megawatt solar power field at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, an infrastructure manager told an advisory board meeting Monday. The DOE Office of Environmental Management studied and dropped solar plans after starting to look at it in 2019, said David Bender, the […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Potential 5-year extension inked for SRS’s Fluor-led prime; security provider deal next
As expected, the Department of Energy has signed a potential five-year, multibillion-dollar extension with the Fluor-led management and operations manager for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the company said late Thursday. The extension could keep Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) on as the prime contractor through September 2027 and be worth $12 billion […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DOE extends Fluor-led SRS prime; security provider deal next
As expected, the Department of Energy has signed a potential five-year, multibillion-dollar extension with the Fluor-led management and operations manager for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the company said late Thursday. The extension could keep Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) on as the prime contractor through September 2027 and be worth $12 billion […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Tropical storm conditions expected around Savannah River Site
Tropical storm conditions are possible Friday around Aiken County, S.C., and the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts of up to 32 miles per hour are expected today with showers possible, according to today’s forecast. The chance of precipitation is 90% Friday and rain is expected to […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Accelerated de-inventory plan keeps Savannah River flexible, DOE manager says
Expedited spent fuel removal is underway at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, now that the agency has decided not to recover high-enriched uranium from the L-Basin storage area, a manager told a federal advisory board Tuesday. “We just kept recovering and kept recovering … and we did not have a […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Savannah River Site keeps wary eye on Hurricane Ian
Management at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site is participating in daily calls about Hurricane Ian with emergency officials for the state of South Carolina, a spokesperson at the federal complex said Tuesday. “Site resources have been identified and will be available to respond to any potential site hurricane impacts,” the spokesperson said via […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP to finish fiscal 2022 well below 300 shipments.
The head of the Department of Energy field office overseeing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M., expects the facility to finish fiscal 2022 with 225 shipments of transuranic waste, short of its target of 299. As of Aug. 29, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has received 217 shipments of defense-related transuranic waste […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Contract extensions expected within days for SRS prime, security provider
The Department of Energy plans to ink a contract extension by Friday with the management and operations manager for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, an agency executive told a federal advisory board Monday. “A new contract should be signed sometime this week because Sept. 30 is approaching fast,” said Jimmy “Mac” McMillian, DOE […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA removed former Savannah River plutonium from Nevada site, Senator says
The National Nuclear Security Administration removed a tranche of weapon useable plutonium from the Nevada National Security Site after a roughly three-year layover, Nevada’s senior U.S. Senator said Friday. The nuclear weapons agency moved the plutonium to the test site in 2018 after the state of South Carolina successfully sued the government for keeping the […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Key movement on Savannah River contract talks expected within months
ARLINGTON, VA — Talks about the contractual future of the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, ongoing for years between the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration, could bear fruit within three months, the head of the cleanup office said here Thursday. William (Ike) White made the remark Thursday during […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Key movement on Savannah River contract talks expected within months
ARLINGTON, VA — Talks about the contractual future of the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, ongoing for years between the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration, could bear fruit within three months, the head of the cleanup office said here Thursday. William (Ike) White made the remark Thursday during […]
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Decommissioning
Decommissioning of 235-F building at Savannah River expected by 2030, cleanup boss says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management expects decommissioning for Building 235-F at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to be finished in fiscal 2030, William (Ike) White, the office’s acting head, said. Current remediation efforts focus on removing hazardous material from the facility, where deactivation started in July 2019, White said in […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
Wrap Up: TSCR still offline; SRS cleanup prime hires subs; Rosen sick with COVID; More
The Department of Energy has yet to conclude an outage that began July 20 at the Tank-Side Cesium Removal project at the Hanford Site in Washington state, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Since beginning operation in late January, the Tank-Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) project has pre-treated 380,000 gallons of radioactive tank waste and DOE expects to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Land clearing underway for final jumbo SDUs at Savannah River
Land clearing and preparation of haul roads is underway for the final three super-sized Saltstone Disposal Units at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the agency said last week. Work crews are also grading the property and installing underground utility lines for the planned Saltstone Disposal Units (SDUs) 10, 11 and […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: SRS researcher OK after snake bite; Perma-Fix reports earnings; WMD session planned
A University of Georgia research associate at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina was “treated and hospitalized for a few days for observation,” after being bitten by a poisonous copperhead snake July 22, a spokesperson said Wednesday. “The individual is fully recovered and returned to work,” Vicky Sutton-Jackson, a spokesperson for […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
COVID-19 vaccination lawsuit against SRS prime dropped
A lawsuit against the Department of Energy’s prime contractor at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, filed by about 80 employees who objected to its COVID-19 vaccination policy, was dismissed. The plaintiffs, led by Shawn Phillip Rhoades, and defendant Savannah River Nuclear Solutions filed a joint motion for dismissal dated Thursday in the U.S. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
BWXT reports strong quarter on rising earnings, revenue
While it did not generate much chatter Monday during a quarterly earnings call focused on strong numbers, BWX Technologies is in the running for billions more in government contracts across the Department of Energy weapons complex over the next year. Having already won the $21-billion, 15-year Savannah River Integrated Mission contract for liquid waste cleanup […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
COVID-19 vaccination lawsuit against SRS prime dropped
A lawsuit against the Department of Energy’s prime contractor at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, filed by about 80 employees who objected to its COVID-19 vaccination policy, was dismissed. The plaintiffs, led by Shawn Phillip Rhoades, and defendant Savannah River Nuclear Solutions filed a joint motion for dismissal dated Thursday in the U.S. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Researcher at SRS back at work after venomous snake bite
A University of Georgia research associate at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina was “treated and hospitalized for a few days for observation,” after being bitten by a poisonous copperhead snake July 22, a spokesperson said Wednesday. “The individual is fully recovered and returned to work,” Vicky Sutton-Jackson, a spokesperson for […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
COVID-19 vaccination lawsuit against SRS prime dropped
A lawsuit against the Department of Energy’s prime contractor at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, filed by about 80 employees who objected to its COVID-19 vaccination policy, was dismissed. The plaintiffs, led by Shawn Phillip Rhoades, and defendant Savannah River Nuclear Solutions filed a joint motion for dismissal dated Thursday in the U.S. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
SRS not dropping high COVID precautions yet
The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina will maintain precautions for “high” community rates for transmission of COVID-19, a DOE spokesperson said Monday. Savannah River DOE managers made the decision after learning the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control failed to update its COVID case numbers last week with the […]










