BWXT awarded $241.5m contract for enriched uranium downblending services

BWX Technologies' unit Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) has been awarded $241.5m contract for the downblending of 10.4 metric tons of surplus highly enriched uranium (HEU).

NFS will work under the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) prime contractor in support of NNSA’s Office of Material Management and Minimization, whose nonproliferation mission includes reducing HEU stockpiles around the world. The NNSA’s HEU disposition program seeks to reduce the proliferation threat from surplus HEU by converting it to low enriched uranium. In this form, the material can be used as commercial nuclear reactor fuel.

"NFS plays a key role in the non-proliferation process – turning highly enriched uranium into fuel for our nation’s commercial nuclear power plants," said Peyton S. (Sandy) Baker, BWXT’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are very pleased to continue providing our services and support to the NNSA and its prime contractor in this very important arena."

Work to be conducted under this contract is expected to run through early 2019.