Training Facility Advances Plutonium Pit Production at Savannah River Site

Work continues at the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center at the Savannah River Site. This non-nuclear training and operations support building will aid the National Nuclear Security Administration's plutonium pit production mission. The center aims to help restart large-scale plutonium pit manufacturing in the United States.

NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Scott Pappano attended a Sept. 16 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the first delivery of equipment used to train workers for pit production operations. Pappano met with site employees. He spoke about how the site helps maintain the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile and deterrence mission.

The HFTOC is being built as a subproject of the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and NNSA are using commercial construction requirements paired with OSHA safety standards to accelerate non-nuclear projects, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

This approach has boosted flexibility, competition, and execution efficiency. Workers have poured more than 3,000 cubic yards of concrete to date.

Crews have set up more than 14,800 linear feet of conduit and piping, snaking through the structure like veins. They've installed more than 430 tons of rebar and structural steel.

Full construction began in early 2026. Completion is expected in 2028.