Department of Energy FY 2012 Congressional ... - The FIRE Place

operations and from other selected inventories of weapon-grade plutonium within the Enterprise. The
facility will have the capacity to store sufficient plutonium oxide for two years of operations.
The MOX facility will be approximately 441,000 square feet in size and provide all of the material
processing and fabrication operations needed to produce MOX fuel. The MOX facility operations
include: aqueous polishing (AP) to purify the plutonium oxide; blending and milling; pelletizing;
sintering; grinding; loading fuel rods; bundling fuel assemblies; and storing feed material, pellets, and
fuel assemblies. The facility also includes a laboratory and space for material sampling and use by a
monitoring and inspection team. Adjacent to the MOX process areas is the secure shipping and
receiving area to support material receipt, utilities, and technical support.
The design of the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) is based on technologies, processes, and
facilities that have been successfully operating in France for decades, specifically AREVA’s MELOX
and La Hague facilities. The facility will meet U.S. conventions, codes, standards, and regulatory
requirements, and will be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
The MFFF has the following key performance parameters: (1) fabricate 3.5 MT of weapon-grade
plutonium annually into mixed-oxide fuel qualified for use in U.S. commercial nuclear power plants;
and (2) provide the capability to successfully process alternate (non-pit) feedstock.
FY 2010 Current Project Status:
Project activities continue to focus on the completion of engineering, civil/structural construction, the
procurement and receipt of long-lead equipment, along with the assembly and testing of process units.
Through August 2010, the project has installed over 76,000 cubic yards of reinforced concrete and more
than 15,000 tons of rebar in the MFFF. Initial testing was completed on the first gloveboxes and process
equipment, and piping/heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) installation began this year.
Tank installation and coatings are continuing. Permanent underground utility installation continued,
including domestic water, electrical, fire protection, and sanitary sewer, along with installation of the
radioactive liquid waste transfer lines. The project also completed construction of two more buildings; a
Secured Warehouse and a new Electrical Substation. Eleven auxiliary buildings are now complete. The
project completed this work while achieving over four million safe work hours.
FY 2011 and FY 2012 Description of Activities
In FY 2011, construction will continue with the third floor slab and walls being completed in Aqueous
Polishing (AP) and the second floor slab being completed in the MOX processing area. Trapped
equipment will continue to be installed as the main processing facility construction progresses. Process
piping installation will continue as will the design and construction of the Technical Support Building.
Electrical conduit and raceway installation will begin along with initiation of the fire protection system
installation. The HVAC will continue and construction of the Reagent Building and the Emergency
Diesel Generator Building will begin.
In FY 2012, the MFFF structural construction package will be completed, including completion of the
primary exterior wall and MFFF roof. HVAC, Reagent Building, Emergency Diesel Generator
Building, and Technical Support Building construction will continue. Process piping installation will
continue as will glovebox installation/connections and electrical installation.
Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation/
Fissile Materials Disposition/
99-D-143, Mixed Oxide (MOX)
Fuel Fabrication Facility Page 394
FY 2012 Congressional Budget