Federal officials to face questions on nuclear bomb core production at Savannah River Site

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) — The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration will face questions from the public about plans to make nuclear bomb cores at the Savannah River Site.

The public meeting comes as the Defense Department budget pitch highlights a major jump in nuclear modernization spending and after a critical federal audit tied to work at SRS.

Nuclear spending push

A major nuclear spending push in Washington is colliding with rising questions about the Savannah River Site’s future role in producing plutonium “pits,” the core of U.S. nuclear weapons.

On April 29, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth presented the administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget request to the House Armed Services Committee, saying the plan includes $71 billion for nuclear modernization.

“On nuclear modernization, this budget funds 71 billion dollars to modernize the triad… and our nuclear triad underwrites everything,” Hegseth said.

Production goals and environmental review

In DOE’s FY27 budget request, the weapons activities account jumps 35% to about $27.4 billion. The agency said it is working to restore and refurbish production capability, including the goal of producing 80 pits per year as close to 2030 as possible.

The public meeting centers on a draft environmental impact statement covering pit production at Los Alamos and Savannah River. Plans could scale up to 50 to 125 pits a year at SRS, according to meeting materials and the draft review.

Federal audit findings

The push comes after an unfavorable DOE inspector general audit tied to Savannah River operations. The audit found Savannah River Nuclear Solutions did not comply with requirements to use competition when purchasing services from contractor-affiliated sources and questioned $17.6 million in costs from fiscal years 2017 through 2021.

Tuesday’s public meeting starts at 5 p.m. at the North Augusta Community Center, with NNSA representatives expected to take questions and comments. The draft environmental review is open for public input for 90 days through next month.