The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said Monday it could not confirm reports that two British ships have docked in Japan and will be loaded with 331 kilograms of weapon-usable plutonium. After the vessels travel to the U.S. and dock in Charleston, S.C., the plutonium will be trucked to the Savannah River Site near Aiken, according to the reports. Though the NNSA won’t confirm, the acceptance of Japanese plutonium this year is outlined in the agency’s fiscal 2017 budget request.
In a story picked up by several other media outlets, The Associated Press reported this week that two British ships were spotted in Tokai, the location of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The plutonium is stored in casks and will be guarded using naval guns and other forms of protection during the voyage, according to AP. The plutonium is covered by the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, a longstanding U.S. program to collect materials that can be used for weapons and store those materials at domestic facilities.
NNSA spokeswoman Francie Israeli said in January that the Energy Department first wants to find a way to get the Japanese material, along with plutonium from other nations, away from harmful people without bringing it to the United States. However, the U.S. will assume ownership “if we can find no other reasonable pathway to address U.S. national security interests,” she said by email.
Once at the Savannah River Site, the plutonium will be stored while the federal government maps out a disposition strategy at SRS and disposal at a facility that has not yet been named. The budget request says preconceptual design will be performed to support the disposition mission. The proposal vaguely states that the project may require dismantlement and removal of equipment in existing rooms at SRS, but does not say which facilities these rooms are in. The proposal also calls for establishing walls to separate contamination areas, the installation of ventilation and fire systems, and criticality alarms and security equipment.
Funding for the conceptual design is being requested under the U.S. Material Management and Minimization Program, and Japan will also contribute funds, according to the budget request. The request does not state how much Japan will provide, but the cost for conceptual design is expected to be $3 million to $5 million.
