Wrap Up: EnergSec dedicates offsite SRNL center; SRS empties another tank; Urenco plan wins NRC OK; more

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright joined several members of the South Carolina congressional delegation this week to officially open the Savannah River National Laboratory’s new offsite Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative.

The national laboratory will operate the 63,000-square-foot research center although it will be located the university, DOE said in a Thursday press release.

The $66-million project was launched during the first Donald Trump administration and built by North Wind Group largely during the Joe Biden administration. 

The state regulator for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina is satisfied workers have successfully cleaned out the high-level liquid radioactive waste from Tank 8, DOE said this week.

The milestone marks the sixth tank in 13 months to receive preliminary cease waste removal designation from the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, according to DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. DOE announced the Tank 8 news in a Tuesday press release.

The preliminary okay from the state means BWX Technologies-led contractor Savannah River Mission Completion can start the sampling and analysis phase of work. This next stage can verify the preliminary finding. In June, DOE announced Tanks 11 and 15 had won the preliminary cleanup designation from the state.This year, the Savannah River cleanup contractor has targeted high-risk tanks, including those built in the early 1950s. 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license amendment for Urenco USA’s enrichment facility in New Mexico, the agency said on LinkedIn Thursday.

The approval allows Urenco to produce higher-enriched uranium-235 to fuel advanced reactors.

“We first gave Urenco permission to start making higher-enriched U-235 last December,” the post said. “Our most recent approval lifts the final interim controls, allowing Urenco to use their entire enrichment process.”

The Department of Energy said Monday it has picked Standard Nuclear of Oak Ridge, Tenn., as the first company to participate in a Donald Trump administration pilot program to develop nuclear fuel production lines to support advanced reactors.

In the Aug. 4 press release, DOE said Standard Nuclear has been “conditionally selected” as the first company to take part in the program to curb American reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials.

Advanced reactors are expected to use designs that utilize robust TRISO fuel. Standard Nuclear will be responsible for its own costs for building, operating and decommissioning the pilot fuel facility. Under a set of nuclear energy executive orders Trump issued in May, the feds hope to have at least three advanced nuclear reactor design concepts located outside of DOE labs achieve criticality by July 4, 2026. 

Mark Sautman, the acting deputy technical director of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has retired after 31 years with the agency.

“I was really fortunate to spend 26 of those years as a resident inspector at the Savannah River Site, Hanford and Rocky Flats,” Sautman said July 31 on his LinkedIn page.

Local officials are exploring the viability of a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Denver International Airport campus.

Denver International Airport has issued solicitations to conduct an SMR feasibility study, according to the airport’s Wednesday press release. The study is expected to cost up to $1.25 million and could take six to 12 months to complete, according to the press release.Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington made the joint announcement, saying an SMR supports Denver’s energy goal of being 100% carbon free by 2050.