OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Leaders gathered in Oak Ridge on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of a construction project to build a new, large Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12.
The new facility is expected to be around 245,000 square feet and will include updated technology boosting Y-12's processing capacity, while also making work safer for employees, according to a release. In August, U.S. lawmakers passed a defense spending bill that set aside around $1 billion to both build the new facility and build a modernized uranium processing facility.
Y-12 is a supplier of lithium materials for U.S. defense missions and is the only Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration facility with both lithium processing and production capabilities. In August, the facility also received approval to get long-lead equipment designed for specific site requirements.
The NNSA previously requested around $211 million to build the new facility, modernizing its strategy. Processed lithium is used in nuclear weapons components, and the NNSA said the current processing buildings at Y-12 are "in disrepair and do not possess the capabilities or capacity to meet demands beyond 2035."
“Y-12’s lithium processing capabilities are significant to the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration,” said Frank Rose, the NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator. “Both lithium processing and uranium processing are crucial to maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile.”
“Replacing our existing lithium processing capability is one of our highest priorities,” said Teresa Robbins in a press release, the NNSA Production Office Manager. “With today’s groundbreaking, we are moving forward with our dedicated vision to create safe, reliable, and modern facilities for our critical national security mission.”
Construction on the new Lithium Processing Facility is set to start in mid-2025 and is projected to be complete in the early 2030s.