Matthew Nelson
A BWX Technologies subsidiary has landed a $57.5 million contract from the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to design and demonstrate an approach meant to convert and purify highly enriched uranium.
Nuclear Fuel Services will create a procedure that could process oxide to HEU metals with the use of natural or depleted uranium as part of the contract, BWXT said Monday.
NNSA will use the procedure within a "bridge" period until the Y-12 National Security Complex devises a new oxide conversion approach.
“As a [Nuclear Regulatory Commission]-licensed Category 1 nuclear facility, NFS is uniquely qualified to meet the needs of NNSA by providing it with expanded HEU processing capability," said Joel Duling, president of BWXT's Nuclear Operations Group.
Duling added NFS will employ its workforce expertise, security framework and operational infrastructure to deliver the conversion capability to NNSA in support of Y-12's modernization efforts.
