The U.S. Department of Energy has authorized construction to move forward on the three primary buildings of a $6.5 billion uranium processing facility (UPF) at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
“This milestone is another important step toward delivering UPF and strengthening our Nation’s nuclear security,” said Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator.
The buildings are the Main Process Building (MPB), Salvage & Accountability Building (SAB), and Process Support Facilities (PSF) subprojects. The MPB is a three-story 240,000-square-foot building that will house enriched uranium operations. The other two buildings — the SAB and the PSF — will support operations in the MPB.
UPF will replace an early-Cold War plant with a modern, more efficient, and safer facility.
The UPF project is being built through a series of seven subprojects. Two were completed on time and under budget and two were underway prior to authorization of these three buildings. The project achieved 90 percent design completion in September 2017 in advance of seeking this authorization.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
