BWX Technologies (BWXT) has been awarded a $1.6bn 10-year contract by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to support the national security mission of establishing a supply of high purity depleted uranium (HPDU).
BWXT will initiate requirements to build an HPDU manufacturing plant, which includes designing the plant, applying for the necessary licences, procuring long-lead equipment, preparing the physical site, demonstrating manufacturing readiness and operating the plant. Under the contract, BWXT will produce up to 300 tonnes of HPDU annually. BWXT will locate the plant at its site in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
“This project represents a significant investment in northeast Tennessee and advances the BWXT legacy of supporting mission-critical work for defence purposes,” said BWXT President and CEO Rex D Geveden. “BWXT acquired the Jonesborough site earlier this year to augment our special materials business line. The HPDU plant supports that growth strategy and enables the US capability to produce this vital material for national security.”
Once fully operational, the new facility is expected to create approximately 175 highly skilled jobs. BWXT subcontractors will support the build-out of facilities and production lines along with hiring additional employees for the construction project.
The process to make HPDU consists of converting uranium oxide to usable metal, which has been done previously at the Jonesborough site, and at other sites throughout the US. The BWXT conceptual design plan focuses on engineered environmental controls and will utilise solid waste management with no additional liquid discharge from the new facility into local waterways. Once completed, BWXT’s Jonesborough facility will be the only active site capable of performing this critical process for the government.
This capability will supply the Y-12 National Security Complex with depleted uranium for production use and will ensure NNSA’s ability to modernise and maintain the nuclear deterrent. “This award enables NNSA to supply new unalloyed depleted uranium to Y-12 for its essential mission to produce depleted uranium and binary components necessary to maintain the Nation’s deterrent,” said Dave Hoagland, Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs.
HPDU is needed to support NNSA’s Life Extension Programs and joint test assemblies. In support of these missions, NNSA is responsible for sustaining the HPDU supply chain and providing feedstock for production and manufacturing processes. This capability will leverage DOE/NNSA-owned depleted uranium oxides converted at the DOE Portsmouth site to close a critical production capability gap for NNSA and reduce overall environmental liability for the DOE Office of Environmental Management’s cleanup mission at Portsmouth.
