Remembering the Savannah River Plant

December 17, 2024, 2:59PMNuclear NewsJay Bilyeu
The Defense Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Plant. (Photo: SRS)

In 1989, the Savannah River Plant was renamed the Savannah River Site. It was originally established in 1950 near Aiken, S.C., to produce nuclear materials for the nation, primarily for defense purposes. The site consisted of a heavy water production plant, three fuel fabrication facilities, five production reactors, two nuclear separation facilities, waste management facilities, tritium processing facilities, and the Savannah River National Laboratory. The main isotopes produced were, by priority, tritium, plutonium-238, and plutonium-239.