New security access facilities have arrived at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina as the complex prepares for increased construction activity in K Area including installation of new Surplus Plutonium Disposition project gloveboxes.
A new four-lane facility, with glass panels used across the DOE complex, will replace a much smaller, single-lane entry facility, DOE said in a Thursday press release. The K Area is where DOE provides interim storage of plutonium and excess plutonium and other special nuclear materials, according to the agency.
The new Material Access Area Entry Control Facility, which should be able to process twice the number of workers currently entering the boundary, is scheduled for operation in the summer of 2024, DOE said in the release.
Savannah River’s Entry Control Facility will include special nuclear material monitors and various other security equipment, according to the DOE press release.
“Entering and exiting through controlled entry is necessary for safety and security, but it is cumbersome and takes some time,” said Leeanna Biery of K Area complex program and project integration. “The new Entry Control Facility will be much more efficient and greatly increase the throughput of personnel required to perform downblend activities in both the existing K Area Interim Surveillance glovebox as well as the new glovebox rooms to be installed.”
The National Nuclear Security Administration has said the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program will speed removal of plutonium from the state of South Carolina.
