Plutonium Pit Project at the Savannah River Site Moves Forward

On June 28th, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced the approval of the Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) milestone for a new plutonium pit manufacturing mission at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site. The second in a four-stage review process, CD-1 marks the completion of the project definition phase and conceptual design and authorizes the team to develop the preliminary and final design. The new project, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, is part of a two-site strategy for producing plutonium pits at SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to support the maintenance of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

This new mission will bring between $7-11 billion in investment to the Savannah River Site. The project is expected to bring 2,500 construction jobs during construction, and create approximately 1,800 permanent jobs once completed. Stuart MacVean, President and CEO of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, said the approval "is not just a win for SRNS and SRS, it's a win for the nation."