After winter weather crippled many parts of Texas’ electricity grid, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nuclear weapons maintenance hub near Amarillo, Texas, decided to keep some personnel home during the first four days of this week.
“In order to reduce energy consumption during the unprecedented winter storm impacting the Amarillo area, Pantex cancelled day, swing, and graveyard shifts,” a spokesperson for the plant’s Bechtel National-led prime contractor, Consolidated Nuclear Security, wrote this week in an email to Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor. “Plant operations are safe and secure while the Plant implements measures to decrease energy use, maintain utilities, and conduct essential activities.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said in a mid-day Twitter post Friday that “operations have returned to normal, and we are no longer asking for energy conservation. Thanks for helping the grid during this very difficult time.”
Essential nuclear weapons work continued during the conservation days, said the Pantex spokesperson, who categorized the cancellation of shifts as more like a snow day, in which people involved with hands-on nuclear weapons jobs are still required to come to work.
Only the non-essential day shift was scheduled to stay home on Friday, the plant spokesperson said.
