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Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today announced that he has decided that the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) at Hanford in Richland, Washington, will not play a role in tritium production and that he will make a decision on any future missions for the FFTF by Spring.

"After examining the different options, I have decided that the Fast Flux Test Facility will not play a role in producing tritium, but I will decide about any civilian missions for the facility by Spring," Secretary Richardson said.

Richardson charged the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee (NERAC) to complete its assessment of the department’s nuclear science and technology infrastructure before any decision is made. NERAC is evaluating the viability of the department’s current facilities to meet the nation’s needs in basic science research, applied technology research and isotope production over the next 20 years and FFTF is included in this study. Proposed future missions for the FFTF could include medical isotope production, advance materials research, plutonium-238 production and nuclear energy research and development.

Richardson made the decision that FFTF should not play any role in producing tritium after visiting the FFTF and meeting with community and non-government groups. He selected the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar and Sequoyah reactors to meet the Department of Energy’s tritium needs.

The United States has not produced tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, since 1988. Since tritium decays at the rate of about five percent per year, the United States will need tritium by 2005 to meet the needs of START I sized nuclear stockpile or by 2011 to meet the needs of a START II sized stockpile if START II goes into effect.

FFTF has been in "standby" since 1993, when the Energy Department deactivated the facility due to adequate existing and planned research reactor capability to meet expected research and isotope production missions. Since that time, however, the department has closed two research reactors and abandoned the development of a third.

The FFTF’s original mission was to support liquid metal reactor technology development and reactor safety research by providing fuels and materials irradiation services. From 1983, when this initial mission ended, through April 1992, when it was shut down for a refueling outage, the facility operated successfully as a national research facility to test advanced nuclear fuels, materials, components, nuclear power plant operating procedures, and active and pasive reactor safety technologies.

The facility also was used to produce a large number of different isotopes for medical and industrial users and to support the U.S. fusion research program. In addition, it attracted significant work from international researchers.