Return to Materials Disposition page.

Program Support Services (PSS) provides project management and contract management support to the Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (NA-26) within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in the execution of the surplus weapons-grade plutonium disposition mission. The support provided by SPT currently includes three distinct projects within the fissile material disposition program. These include the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility (PDCF) Project, the domestic Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Project, and the Russian Federation MOX Fuel Project.

The PDCF project involves design and construction of a facility to be located at the Savannah River Site for the purpose of dismantling pits (nuclear warhead components that contains weapons grade plutonium), separating the plutonium, and producing an oxide form of plutonium to be used by the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (FFF) to make MOX fuel.

The MOX Fuel Project involves a wide range of activities necessary to fabricate MOX fuel and irradiate that fuel in commercial light water reactors. These activities include the design, construction, and operation of the MOX FFF to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and constructed at the Savannah River Site; the fabrication and irradiation of lead assemblies to support the qualification of MOX fuel for use in commercial light water reactors; the design and construction of facility modifications to the selected commercial light water reactors; and the design, certification, and procurement of packages for the transportation of fresh MOX fuel. The MOX FFF will take the plutonium oxide produced in the PDCF and blend it with commercial uranium oxide to produce the MOX fuel for subsequent irradiation in commercial reactors.

The Russian Federation MOX Project involves the adaptation of the design of the domestic MOX FFF for use by the Russian Federation for the implementation of the surplus weapons-grade plutonium disposition mission in that country. The domestic design will be replicated to the maximum extent practicable with minor design changes made to accommodate differences in functional requirement defined jointly by the U.S. and Russian Federation, differences associated with site utility design and layout, differences in site environmental conditions, differences in regulatory requirements in the Russian Federation, and difference in the codes and standards associated with construction materials.

Currently PSS, in partnership with the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (ACQ), Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), and the Safety and Technical Services (STS), supports NN-26 by providing integrated project management and contract administration support in the execution of these projects. This effort includes analyses and processing of Baseline Change Proposals; maintenance of baseline change logs; analysis of project performance data; technical direction communications; monitoring; and tracking of project costs, deliverables, and milestones as defined in the project baselines and contracts. Additionally, CH has been responsible for procuring the respective contractors for these projects.