The US Senate “report” that goes along with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 is out. Amongst a host of things, the plutonium pit issue gets some oversight.
We predict this will be strengthened as the process moves forward this year and next. In the House, an amendment will be offered to the House NDAA this week to cut the requirement of production of 80 pits per year by 2020 to 30 pits per year by 2027. We believe it’s just a matter of time before that happens.
“Review of plutonium infrastructure at the National Nuclear Security Administration” – June 24, 2020 – page 417:
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is rebuilding its plutonium infrastructure to meet DOD and statutory requirements to annually produce 80 plutonium pits by 2030. This effort includes two new line item construction projects and an annual expenditure of operational funds to refurbish and expand existing plutonium capabilities.
Given the importance of the plutonium mission, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States to periodically review the NNSA’s plutonium modernization plans. This review should include the requirements, cost, schedule, and technology readiness levels, as appropriate, of the projects and related plutonium operations, including:
(1) The Los Alamos Plutonium Pit Production Project (21–D–
512) and associated plutonium modernization operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory;
(2) The Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (21–
D–511) and associated modernization operations at the Savannah River Site; and
(3) The integration of these two projects with the NNSA’s
overall plutonium operations and capability sustainment program.
The committee requests a preliminary briefing on the status of these efforts no later than March 1, 2021, with subsequent reviews to be conducted in consultation with this committee and in consideration of the critical decision process for the projects and the NNSA program management requirements. The briefing and reviews may be coordinated with the Comptroller General’s activities in monitoring the NNSA’s progress on pit production activities pursuant to the request in the House Committee Report accompanying H.R. 2960 (H. Rept. 116–83) of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2020.
Report posted here: https://www.congress.gov/116/crpt/srpt236/CRPT-116srpt236.pdf