AIKEN, S.C. – The fabrication of gloveboxes is underway for the plutonium pit production mission at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
“Gloveboxes will be a key component of pit production operations within the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF),” said Dennis Carr, president and CEO of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management and operating contractor for the site. “The early procurement and fabrication of these gloveboxes is critical to delivering completion of this project for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) by the early 2030s.”
production mission at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Gloveboxes are used across the NNSA’s Nuclear Security Enterprise to protect employees from exposure to radioactive material as they conduct mission-critical work in support of national security.
The plutonium pit production mission is an essential part of the NNSA’s long-term strategy for nuclear stockpile sustainment. A plutonium pit is a critical component of every nuclear weapon.
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 to meet pit production requirements.
The SRPPF project requires an incredibly complex design involving building modifications and special facility equipment procurements.
“The SRPPF Project Execution team is working to accelerate procurements and fabrication of process equipment in parallel with design maturation and early site preparation activities,” said Brian Pool, SRPPF Director of Glovebox Delivery. “More than half of the several hundred gloveboxes needed for the SRPPF project have begun fabrication. This forward momentum shows the teamwork happening between SRNS, our Construction Management subcontractor Fluor, and our NNSA counterparts to deliver on this critical mission.”
SRPPF received, in May, the first NNSA Demonstration Program glovebox which will be used in the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC). The HFTOC is a facility on site that will be used to train SRPPF personnel, develop operator proficiency, and provide hands-on experience with simulated radiological controls.
“The HFTOC is an integral piece to the success of SRPPF,” said Darlene Murdoch, SRNS Senior Vice President – NNSA Pit Production Operations and Programs. “We are working closely with the SRPPF project team to ensure we deliver on our commitment to achieve our modernization goals and enhance planning, training and operational readiness for the facility.”
During the life of the SRPPF project, more than 4,000 craft and staff employees are expected to support construction. To support workforce needs, SRNS signed a Project Labor Agreement with the Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council.
Once constructed and operational, SRPPF is expected to require approximately 2,100 employees.
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. The Nuclear Weapons Council endorsed NNSA’s approach for supplying plutonium pits to meet stockpile requirements: a two-site strategy with SRS producing no fewer than 50 pits per year and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico producing no fewer than 30 pits per year. This approach will provide an effective, responsive and resilient nuclear weapons infrastructure with the flexibility to adapt to shifting requirements and counter future threats.
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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