OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge city leaders met with representatives from the National Nuclear Security Administration this week to express disappointment over a shift of some production from the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility to a plant in Erwin, Tenn.
An NNSA spokesperson said Y-12 would not experience any loss of employment or work scope due to the contract with Nuclear Fuel Services.
Instead, the spokesperson said, it is a temporary measure designed to bridge a capability gap and meet requirements from the Department of Defense as Y-12 develops new, more modern facilities.
"The [highly enriched uranium] processing equipment at Y-12 is aging," the spokesperson said. Y-12 will transition to electro-refining uranium in 2023, she said, but will not be able to do some processing until the late 2020s or early 2030s.
"The NFS contract provides a bridging capability for conversion of oxide to purified [highly enriched uranium] metal, until Y-12 has developed, proven, and implemented a new and improved oxide reduction technology."
But Oak Ridge leaders indicated they are upset with the change.
"It’s unfortunate that the defense department has decided to increase demand right at this time when the NNSA is investing all this money in upgrading [Y-12's] capacity so that they’ll be able to do the work in the long term," councilwoman Ellen Smith said.
"It’s hard to believe after all those years of planning, we can’t wait a couple more years for the Y-12 facility to be up and running at full capacity," she said.
The NNSA spokesperson said the first phase of the NFS contract in Erwin will last 3 years. Smith said she believes it begins as soon as Monday.
NNSA may extend the contract to a second phase depending on the results. Y-12 will not see any reduction in work scope or employment if it does so, the spokesperson said.
The new processing capability at Y-12 is not currently planned to be located in the facility's under-construction, $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility, scheduled for completion in 2025.
"NNSA remains fully committed to Y-12 as the Nation’s Uranium Center of Excellence, as evidenced by continued increasing NNSA investments of over $2 billion this year for national security programs on the campus," the spokesperson said. "NNSA’s long term plan is to consolidate [highly enriched uranium] recycling and recovery at Y-12."