Raytheon Gets Pit-facility Design Contract

The U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 18 said it had signed Raytheon Engineers and Constructors Inc. (Englewood, CO) to a U.S.$44-million contract to design a nuclear-warhead plutonium-pits conversion facility. The resulting plutonium oxide powder will be vitrified for disposal or fabricated as plutonium-uranium, or mixed-oxide, fuel for commercial U.S. reactors.

The pit facility will consist of one main building designed to process special nuclear materials, per Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards, plus support buildings and structures. DOE's Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC, currently is the preferred location for the facility.

Construction of the pit disassembly and conversion facility would take five years and begin as early as 2001, once Russia gives the U.S. assurances that it is embarking on a similar program.

The DOE said that, if the. project proceeds, it would operate the facility for 10 years and then shut it down for decontamination and decommissioning.

The U.S. and Russia have each pledged to dispose of roughly 50 metric tons of surplus weapons plutonium. However, the Russian program faces big financial hurdles, and U.S. and Russian officials are still trying to work out differences on methods of disposal.

Working with Raytheon on the project will be Battelle and Siemens Power Corporation.

Edited by Paul Hersch