Return of the HB Line at SRS

The Department of Energy is bringing the HB Line facility at the Savannah River Site back on line to recycle surplus plutonium and produce uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for advanced reactors.

Restarting the facility will be a multiyear process and will yield opportunities for increased domestic production of isotopes with scientific and commercial value. The DOE said that once operational, the HB Line will accelerate the Office of Environmental Management's plutonium disposition mission by 10 to 13 years while reducing the existing cost.

"We are restoring a unique capability that will accelerate our mission, strengthen the domestic nuclear industrial base, and deliver fuel the country needs to power advanced reactors," said DOE-EM Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh.

History: Built in the early 1980s for plutonium-238 production for the nation's deep space exploration program, the HB Line also performed operations for producing and processing plutonium and neptunium oxides. The facility is part of H Canyon, the only chemical separations facility of its kind in the United States.

The DOE ordered the HB Line shut down in 2018, and it was placed in reversible shutdown status in 2020. The tasks for shutdown included deinventorying and flushing the facility's product and cold chemical lines, dispositioning legacy plutonium and uranium materials stored and previously used at the facility, and laying up support systems that were no longer needed. In 2025, the facility was continuing steps to deinventory some unique items that remained and announced the removal of Y-12 uranium that had been in storage at the facility since 2008.

"Savannah River Site has been integral to America's nuclear mission for more than 70 years, and HB Line is one of the unique capabilities the site has to offer," said Edwin Deshong, Savannah River Operations Office manager. "Our workforce has the expertise, experience, and dedication to execute the mission safely and successfully."