AIKEN, S.C. – Site preparation for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is ramping up with significant progress happening in the field at one of the largest construction projects in the country.
“The landscape around SRPPF is changing, and this flurry of activity is evident to the progress SRS is making on its commitment to establish pit production here for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA),” said Jim Dawkins, Executive Vice President and NNSA Chief Operations Officer for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the managing and operating contractor for the Site.
The enduring pit production mission at SRS involves completing construction of SRPPF in order to produce the bulk of the nation’s plutonium pits, which are critical components of nuclear weapons, in support of nuclear deterrence.
SRPPF is being constructed through repurposing an unfinished facility at SRS with more than 400,000 square feet of available Hazard Category-2 space. This allows the NNSA to make use of an existing, seismically-qualified structure that meets pit production requirements.
The early site preparation work requires complex planning around the construction site for activities such as excavation work, underground electrical, and water and sewer infrastructure.
Since site preparation and earthwork started ramping up in January, construction entrances have been installed to multiple construction work areas and demolition began of the domestic water line and underground irrigation tank. Work also progressed as light poles, wheel stops, asphalt and sidewalks were demolished and removed from a parking lot adjacent to SRPPF in preparation for excavation activities.
Designed to operate for a minimum of 50 years once facility operations are authorized, constructing SRPPF will require modifications and installation of manufacturing and support equipment directly associated with the pit production mission.
More than 4,000 craft and staff employees are expected to support construction during the life of the project. To support workforce needs, SRNS signed a Project Labor Agreement with the Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council.
“NNSA has prioritized re-establishing the nation’s pit production capability, and seeing such visible progress in the field at SRS shows our nation is successfully working to revitalize the unique infrastructure vital to the Nuclear Security Enterprise,” said Mike Basham, SRNS Senior Vice President and SRPPF Project Director. “This site prep work being executed now, while SRPPF design is being matured, will help accelerate the project once final design is complete and full construction activities can commence.”
The plutonium pit production mission is an essential part of the NNSA’s long-term strategy for nuclear stockpile sustainment. Under federal law and to meet national security requirements, NNSA must be able to produce no fewer than 80 pits per year to maintain and replenish the nuclear stockpile. Responsibilities for manufacturing pits will be shared between SRS and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Once constructed and operational, SRPPF is expected to require approximately 2,100 employees.
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and militarily effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a Fluor and HII partnership company, is responsible for the management and operations of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, located near Aiken, South Carolina.
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