Plutonium Pit Production

Early delivery of equipment for a Savannah River Site (SRS) training facility is helping accelerate preparations for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plutonium pit production mission, the agency said in a press release. NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano visited SRS in September to review construction of the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), […]

Early delivery of equipment for a Savannah River Site (SRS) training facility is helping accelerate preparations for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plutonium pit production mission, the agency said in a press release. NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano visited SRS in September to review construction of the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), […]

Early delivery of equipment for a Savannah River Site (SRS) training facility is helping accelerate preparations for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plutonium pit production mission, the agency said in a press release. NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano visited SRS in September to review construction of the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), […]

The Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility (SRPPF) in South Carolina will have 305 gloveboxes, the president of the operations contractor for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) told a state nuclear panel Friday. “The main process building will have over 300 — 305,” said Jeff Griffin, president of Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions […]

The Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility (SRPPF) in South Carolina will have 305 gloveboxes, the president of the operations contractor for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) told a state nuclear panel Friday. “The main process building will have over 300 — 305,” said Jeff Griffin, president of Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions […]

Two Department of Energy contractors, one in in charge of operations and the other responsible for liquid waste and cleanup, touted recent developments at the Savannah River Site Thursday a meeting of the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council (GNAC), A $1.4 billion training facility to support the Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility (SRPPF) is […]

Two Department of Energy contractors, one in in charge of operations and the other responsible for liquid waste and cleanup, touted recent developments at the Savannah River Site Thursday a meeting of the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council (GNAC), A $1.4 billion training facility to support the Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility (SRPPF) is […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

A newly released JASON study says plutonium in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile is aging slowly and that observed degradation does not currently threaten weapons performance. The March 25 study, Plutonium Aging: Executive Summary, was conducted by JASON – a scientific advisory board for the U.S. military – at the request of Congress to assess […]

OMAHA, Neb. – Brandon Williams, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), said here Thursday Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is accelerating plutonium pit production, with the site targeting 100 pits by December 2028. Speaking at the U.S. Strategic Deterrence Symposium, Williams said reforms across NNSA are producing results in major modernization […]

A nuclear watchdog group in New Mexico has filed suit against the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) seeking to force disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of a study concerning costs of plutonium pit production. The complaint was filed July 23 by Nuclear Watch New Mexico in U.S. […]

A nuclear watchdog group in New Mexico has filed suit against the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) seeking to force disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of a study concerning costs of plutonium pit production. The complaint was filed July 23 by Nuclear Watch New Mexico in U.S. […]

According to UCS, the document is an unclassified summary of a recent JASON study – a publicity-averse scientific advisory board for the U.S. military – examining the aging of plutonium in the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The organization said the summary was marked unclassified but was nevertheless entirely redacted by NNSA before being released under FOIA. […]

A project baseline that includes costs and timelines for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility’s (SRPPF) main building was submitted for federal review in January, with no projections for when it might be acted upon.  While awaiting approval, Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management contractor at the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site in Aiken, […]

A new study by Princeton University researchers argues that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s analysis underestimates the geographic and health impacts of any potential severe plutonium fire at pit production facilities. The peer-reviewed study, published in Science & Global Security, examines hypothetical plutonium fire scenarios at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the […]

The Town of Taos, N.M. last month approved a resolution opposing the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plans to expand plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), calling for further environmental review. Resolution 26-37, adopted June 9, cites a Feb. 11 NNSA Defense Programs memorandum, Responsive Today, Dominant Tomorrow: Enhancing American Nuclear Dominance, […]

A new study by Princeton University researchers argues that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s analysis underestimates the geographic and health impacts of any potential severe plutonium fire at pit production facilities. The peer-reviewed study, published in Science & Global Security, examines hypothetical plutonium fire scenarios at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the […]

The Town of Taos, N.M. last month approved a resolution opposing the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plans to expand plutonium pit production at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), calling for further environmental review. Resolution 26-37, adopted June 9, cites a Feb. 11 NNSA Defense Programs memorandum, Responsive Today, Dominant Tomorrow: Enhancing American Nuclear Dominance, […]

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are investigating a June 15 furnace fire inside a glovebox at the laboratory’s plutonium facility after operators observed smoke and flames during recovery and purification operations. The incident prompted an emergency response but caused no injuries, radiological release or damage beyond the affected equipment, according to […]

A coalition of watchdog organizations is pressing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to release three documents it argues are essential to public review of the agency’s draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for expanded plutonium pit production. The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) – which is representing Savannah River Site Watch, Tri-Valley CAREs […]

A coalition of watchdog organizations is pressing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to release three documents it argues are essential to public review of the agency’s draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for expanded plutonium pit production. The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) – which is representing Savannah River Site Watch, Tri-Valley CAREs […]

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are investigating a June 15 furnace fire inside a glovebox at the laboratory’s plutonium facility after operators observed smoke and flames during recovery and purification operations. The incident prompted an emergency response but caused no injuries, radiological release or damage beyond the affected equipment, according to […]

Efforts to reduce administrative burdens and streamline operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s PF-4 plutonium facility have increased the amount of time the facility is available for production work, according to Mark Davis, deputy laboratory director for operations. Speaking Wednesday at a webinar by the Energy Facility Contractors Group about workplace efficiency initiatives, Davis said […]

A construction company has broken ground on an $11 million procurement warehouse for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Program (SRPPF).  Hensel Phelps, the general contractor for the facility, said in its June 12  news release that the warehouse will be 22,000 square feet and is slated for completion in March 2027. The warehouse will provide […]

SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental review on plutonium pit production understates risks to water resources, worker safety and communities along transport routes. Some speakers at a Thursday May 14 public hearing in Santa Fe also said NNSA is failing […]

SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental review on plutonium pit production understates risks to water resources, worker safety and communities along transport routes. Some speakers at a Thursday May 14 public hearing in Santa Fe also said NNSA is failing […]

SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental review on plutonium pit production understates risks to water resources, worker safety and communities along transport routes. Some speakers at a Thursday May 14 public hearing in Santa Fe also said NNSA is failing […]