The National Nuclear Security Administration transitioned into the final stage of construction at the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the agency announced Tuesday.
The Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) is the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) next-generation factory for nuclear-weapons secondary stages. Once construction is complete, UPF will replace facilities from World War II.
Most recently, the Salvage and Accountability Building was powered up, which was the final structure in the UPF complex to be connected to the power grid at Y-12. Now that all buildings are energized, testing and commissioning can commence. The Salvage and Accountability Building is 127,000 square feet, and will be used for waste preparation, decontamination and chemical recovery, according to a UPF factsheet.
“This milestone marks a significant step forward for Y-12, the 2,500 men and women supporting the UPF project, and the nation’s nuclear security,” Audrey Beldio, NNSA’s Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Production Modernization and Materials Management, said in the news release. “The modernization of uranium operations at Y-12 is absolutely critical to the United States’ nuclear weapons program, the nuclear nonproliferation mission, and the Navy’s nuclear fleet.”
In October, Brian Zieroth, the project manager for UPF with Bechtel National, told the Exchange Monitor the estimate for UPF was $10.3 billion for total cost, and he forecasted completed construction by late 2027 with transition to operations in late 2031.
