Rob Pavey of The Augusta Chronicle coined the project “a new mission for an old plant,” as the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility, currently under construction by Shaw AREVA MOX Services on the Department of Energy Savannah River Site, becomes an integral part of a global effort for nuclear arms reduction, world peace, and security.
“Workers will transform 34 metric tons of plutonium taken from about 10,000 dismantled nuclear bombs into something much less sinister, in fact beneficial: fuel rods that can be sold to utilities for use in commercial nuclear reactors.”
The facility is a massive undertaking using more than 170,000 cubic yards of concrete and 35,000 ton of reinforcing steel to complete the 600,000 square-foot facility. When fully operational, the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility will be capable of turning 3.5 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium into MOX fuel assemblies each year.
The Chronicle also points out how this project is a highly-regarded solution for weapons disposal. Current Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, was quoted as saying “the men and women building the MOX Facility at Savannah River Site are working day and night to advance our vital national security interests…this facility will allow us to lead by example by demonstrating our commitment to eliminating surplus weapons plutonium in a transparent and irreversible manner.”
To read the rest of the article that includes some great background on the MOX projects, check out “MOX: The Future of SRS.”
For more information on the MOX Project, check out the official site.
Tags: AREVA Inc., AREVA North America, Augusta Chronicle, MOX Fuel Reprocessing, News, Non-proliferation, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Rob Pavey, Savannah River Site, Shaw AREVA MOX Services
