Savannah River Site?s HB Line Resumes Operation

The Savannah River Site (SRS) this month ended an extended “safety pause” in operations of a system that produces feedstock for the planned Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. The suspension of operations began early this year following a Jan. 7 power outage at the facility. While operations resumed the next day, workers at the Department of Energy site on Feb. 3 determined that agitators in one holding tank had not been functioning since the electrical incident. This led to the suspension of operations while the Savannah River Site addressed the problem, including developing a recovery plan and submitting it to the Energy Department for approval, according to earlier reporting. The safety pause was ended and the HB Line “back to full operations” as of Aug. 6, according to Barbara Smoak, spokeswoman for SRS contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.

The HB Line produces plutonium oxide, which is feed material for the mixed oxide plant still being built at Savannah River. The plant is intended as a means of disposing of 34 metric tons of surplus U.S. weapon-usable plutonium, but is behind schedule and over budget. A recent report from a Red Team of nuclear experts suggested downblending might be a preferable option based on cost effectiveness for disposing of the plutonium.