The National Nuclear Security Administration has confirmed what appears to be a major breakdown in nuclear shipping requirements, acknowledging that a July shipment of special nuclear material from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee to a commercial facility somehow exceeded the planned amounts. According to information provided by the NNSA in response to questions, problems with the shipment weren’t discovered until the recipient raised the issue. Steven Wyatt, chief spokesman with the NNSA’s Production Office at the Y-12 site, said the material was sent to a facility licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He acknowledged that it “contained a larger quantity of the material than should have been shipped.”
According to Wyatt, “When the facility receiving the material determined that they had received the larger amount, they notified officials at Y-12.” He added: “All material shipped to the facility was recovered by a Y-12 team and returned to the Oak Ridge site. Y-12 personnel ensured accountability of the material throughout its recovery.” Unconfirmed reports indicated the amount of material shipped was at least 10 times what was allowed. The NNSA did not respond to questions about the amount, but Wyatt said the agency – a semi-independent branch of the U.S. Department of Energy, overseeing the nuclear weapons complex – treated it seriously. He referred to the situation as an “irregularity.”
Y-12 is the U.S. repository for weapon-grade uranium; while the NNSA did not specify what special nuclear material was involved, it was apparently highly enriched uranium – the only SNM that is processed at the Oak Ridge plant. In response to questions, Wyatt said: “Nothing is more important to NNSA, as we carry out our vital national security mission, than the safety and security of our employees and the communities in which they operate. This work includes transporting nuclear material.”