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Deliver 2032: Date set to complete Savannah River plutonium pit facility construction
A Deliver 2032 banner signing ceremony with the Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council was held on Nov. 6. Representatives from the National Nuclear Security Administration, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), Construction Management subcontractor Fluor Federal Services, and other subcontractors supporting the SRPPF project were on hand during the show of support. Provided/SRNS and NNSA. A date has been set to finish building the Savannah River Site facility that will build plutonium pits. Representatives from the National Nuclear Security Administration, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and others recently signed a "Deliver 2032" banner during a ceremony held at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall in downtown Augusta. The plutonium pit facility, known as the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, must be completed by 2032, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions CEO Dennis Carr said in a news release. "Shifts in our global nuclear landscape have made SRS a key player in strengthening the nuclear deterrent to keep our nation, partners and allies safe," Carr continued. The United States has somewhat adversarial relationships with two nuclear powers: China and Russia. And through the presidential administrations of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the NNSA has worked to modernize the nuclear stockpile to meet the threats. Part of the NNSA's modernization effort includes reestablishing the country's ability to produce plutonium pits, something that was lost when the Rocky Flats plant was shut down after the Cold War ended. Reestablishing plutonium pit production is necessary because there is some concern that impurities that develop over time in plutonium — the element is notoriously unstable — could affect the functioning of the plutonium pits. The NNSA plans to produce 30 plutonium pits per year at Los Alamos National Laboratory and 50 plutonium pits per year at the repurposed former Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site. The signing ceremony was held at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall to acknowledge the efforts of the union workers of the Augusta Building and Trade Council that are working on the project. "The Augusta Building and Construction Trades Council has supported the Savannah River Site and its mission for decades," Trades Council President Jeff Britt said. "Our local union leaders are here today to sign this banner and show their continued support and dedication to this important project." |
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