Plutonium Pit Production

The National Nuclear Security Administration expects to complete its review of the seismic vulnerabilities of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility (PF-4) by mid-March, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said in a Feb. 13 letter to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The review will allow NNSA to make decisions about a new suite of seismic […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 2/6/2015 The Obama Administration is moving forward with a new strategy to maintain the plutonium capabilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory, requesting $155.6 million for the work in Fiscal Year 2016, an increase of $119.9 million from FY 2015 enacted levels. The project has emerged from the ashes of the Chemistry […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board isn’t happy with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s progress on an alternate analysis of the seismic vulnerabilities of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility (PF-4), and wants answers from the agency within 30 days. In a Dec. 17 letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz published Friday, DNFSB Chairman Peter […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 10/17/2014 Plans for a new pit storage facility to replace an aging storage bunker at the Pantex Plant are again moving forward. The NNSA Production Office last month requested Critical Decision-0 approval for a new Material Staging Facility at the plant, according to a recently released memo from the Defense Nuclear […]

Plans for a new pit storage facility to replace an aging storage bunker at the Pantex Plant are again moving forward. The NNSA Production Office last month requested Critical Decision-0 approval for a new Material Staging Facility at the plant, according to a recently released memo from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. The DNFSB […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration has directed Los Alamos National Laboratory to begin developing preliminary planning documents for the third phase of its plutonium strategy, the construction of modules that will complement the lab’s Plutonium Facility (PF-4). In a Sept. 16 memo to Los Alamos Field Office Manager Kim Lebak […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 It doesn’t appear that Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility will be fully operational any time soon, according to information released this week. Work at the facility was shut down in June  2013, with only partial operations having resumed, and National Nuclear Security Administration Acting Associate Administrator for Infrastructure and […]

It doesn’t appear that Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Facility will be fully operational any time soon. Work at the facility was shut down in June of 2013, with only partial operations having resumed, and National Nuclear Security Administration Acting Associate Administrator for Infrastructure and Operations Jim McConnell said the facility is being restarted with […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 8/29/2014 The first phase of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s new strategy to upgrade its plutonium facilities will cost about $2 billion, according to a new cost estimate approved last week by Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman as part of a Critical Decision-1 approval of the project. Poneman signed off on the […]

The first phase of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s new strategy to upgrade its plutonium facilities will cost about $2 billion, according to a new cost estimate approved last week by Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman as part of a Critical Decision-1 approval of the project. Poneman signed off on the CD-1 package Aug. 22, allowing […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 8/22/2014 With the Administration moving forward on a new plutonium strategy that involves building modular facilities to house plutonium work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a new report from Congressional Research Service nuclear weapons policy specialist Jonathan Medalia raises a host of questions about how much space is available at the […]

With the Administration moving forward on a new plutonium strategy that involves building modular facilities to house plutonium work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a new report from Congressional Research Service nuclear weapons policy specialist Jonathan Medalia raises a host of questions about how much space is available at the lab for plutonium work. While […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 8/1/2014 The Nuclear Weapons Council has formally committed to build two modular structures to help sustain Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plutonium capabilities, opening the door to freeing up approximately $90 million in funds that had been in limbo as lawmakers pushed for a promise on the modular approach. Nuclear Weapons Council […]

The Nuclear Weapons Council has formally committed to build two modular structures to help sustain Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plutonium capabilities, opening the door to free up approximately $90 million in funds that had been in limbo as lawmakers pushed for a promise on the modular approach. Nuclear Weapons Council Chairman Frank Kendall and National […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 Los Alamos National Laboratory has resumed about two-thirds of work at its Plutonium Facility after operations were shut down a year ago due to criticality safety and conduct of operations issues, a senior laboratory official said this week, but there is no clear timetable for a full resumption of activities. […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory has resumed about two-thirds of work at its Plutonium Facility after operations were shut down a year ago due to criticality safety and conduct of operations issues, according to a senior laboratory official, but there is no clear timetable for a full resumption of activities. A recently released May 30 Defense […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 3/07/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration may have options to meet the nation’s plutonium pit needs short of large-scale new construction, according to a new report from Congressional Research Service analyst Jonathan Medalia. Such options “have the potential to produce 80 (pits per year) and permit other plutonium activities at relatively […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 1/24/2014 A new report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is raising questions about whether Los Alamos National Laboratory will be able to get out of the aging Chemistry and Metallurgy Research facility by 2019 as planned. In a newly released Dec. 27 site rep report, the DNFSB said repurposing […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 6/6/2014 With a 2019 exit date for the aged Chemistry and Metallurgy Research facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory creeping up, the Senate Armed Services Committee is directing the National Nuclear Security Administration to streamline efforts to increase the use of the existing radiological laboratory utility office building and repurpose space […]

With a 2019 exit date for the aged Chemistry and Metallurgy Research facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory creeping up, the Senate Armed Services Committee is directing the National Nuclear Security Administration to streamline efforts to increase the use of the existing radiological laboratory utility office building and repurpose space within the existing Plutonium Facility. […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 5/23/2014 The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board wants Los Alamos National Laboratory to take more time to restart operations at its Plutonium Facility, which has been shut down since last summer due to criticality safety concerns. In a May 16 letter to National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz, DNFSB Chairman […]

The Obama Administration is objecting to House attempts to accelerate some warhead modernization efforts and is threatening to veto the House version of the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Authorization Act if the provisions remain in the bill. In a Statement of Administration Policy, the Administration said it opposes language in the bill that would speed […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board wants Los Alamos National Laboratory to take more time to restart operations at its Plutonium Facility, which has been shut down since last summer due to criticality safety concerns. In a May 16 letter to National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz, DNFSB Chairman Peter Winokur said the Board […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Acquisition and Project Management will manage efforts to modernize Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plutonium capabilities, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said in a recently released memo. According to the April 11 DNFSB site representative weekly report, released last week, laboratory and Los Alamos Field Office personnel have […]

With a 2019 deadline to get out of the aged Chemistry and Metallurgy Research facility looming five years from now, Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan yesterday outlined key requirements for the lab’s plutonium strategy. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, McMillan said the lab needed a steady funding stream and […]

The Los Alamos Study Group, which sued the National Nuclear Security Administration in 2010 and 2011 to halt work on the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement-Nuclear Facility, has officially dropped its lawsuit now that the NNSA has dropped its plans for the multi-billion-dollar facility. In its lawsuits, the group argued that the NNSA hadn’t adequately […]

Could Los Alamos National Laboratory’s latest plans for plutonium infrastructure be scaled back again? That’s one of the main questions raised by a new report from the Congressional Research Service, which suggests that existing facilities at Los Alamos—with some tweaks—could allow for the eventual production of between 50 and 80 pits. Such a move would […]

A review of criticality safety issues at Los Alamos National Laboratory has revealed widespread problems that led to the ongoing shutdown of its Plutonium Facility last summer, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board report released last week. The report describes Los Alamos’ Criticality Safety Infractions Causal Analysis, which identified five “root causal factors” […]

Todd Jacobson and Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/16/2014 With the House Armed Services Committee rebuffing an attempt to boost authorized funding for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) hasn’t offered any hints yet as to whether he’ll fight to reinstate the funding […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 5/16/2014 With the Department of Energy looking at plutonium disposition alternatives to the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, the State Department’s top arms control official said late last week that she didn’t expect Russia to object to any changes to U.S. plans. Lawmakers that have opposed the Obama Administration’s decision to […]