Construction is advancing at the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center at the Savannah River Site, a non-nuclear training and operations support facility being built to support the National Nuclear Security Administration's plutonium pit production mission.
NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano attended a Sept. 16 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the first delivery of equipment used to train workers for pit production operations, according to a news release. Pappano also met with site employees and emphasized the site's role in maintaining the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and deterrence mission.
The HFTOC is being constructed as a subproject of the
Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility and is intended to help accelerate the re-establishment of large-scale plutonium pit manufacturing in the United States.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and NNSA are using commercial construction requirements paired with OSHA safety standards to accelerate non-nuclear, non-complex projects. According to the announcement, the approach has increased flexibility, competition and execution efficiency.
To date, workers have placed more than 3,000 cubic yards of concrete, configured more than 14,800 linear feet of conduit and piping and installed more than 430 tons of rebar and structural steel. Full construction began in early 2026 and is forecast for completion in 2028.
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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: New training facility advances plutonium pit production at SRS
