The NNSA boss toured the Savannah River Site. Eyes were on pits and tritium.

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Nov. 11—The first- and second-in-command at the National Nuclear Security Administration visited the Savannah River Site on Tuesday, receiving updates on myriad projects and speaking with the local leadership and workforce.

Administrator Jill Hruby and deputy Frank Rose toured what is expected to become the agency's main factory for nuclear weapon cores, the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, as well as the site's aging tritium complex, where the radioactive gas is packaged for the Department of Defense.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson accompanied the two, according to social media posts.

The South Carolina Republican and senior member of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday said he was grateful to join Hruby and Rose "for an informative and productive visit." Community and employee support for the potential $11 billion Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, the congressman said, was "well-received" and proved to be a highlight.

Why's it matter?

A trip to the Savannah River Site made by National Nuclear Security Administration leadership this week was encouraging, Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon said, as it showed a continued interest in the region and what it has to offer the nation.

"We really are happy," Osbon said Wednesday, a day after NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby and Principal Deputy Administrator Frank Rose toured the site and met with workers and other community leaders. "It's positive."

The mayor said the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration "seems like it's been very even-keeled" — a good thing for the area and its workforce.

"The funding seems to indicate all previous missions and conversations are still a priority for" the Department of Energy, he added.

The site, 30 minutes south of Aiken, employs thousands of people.

"There is no doubt that this project will take a great amount of collaboration between the NNSA and Congress," he continued, "and I welcome the administrator's support, and look forward to working with all to see this project come to fruition."

Hruby and Rose were also briefed on steps needed to remove from South Carolina a cache of plutonium — a rallying cry for local officials and lawmakers in Washington, alike. The National Nuclear Security Administration has described the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Project at the Savannah River Site as the "centerpiece" of its dilute-and-dispose strategy, the alternative to the failed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility.

Tuesday marked Hruby's first time at the site since becoming the leader of the NNSA and the under secretary for nuclear security. Hruby served as the director of Sandia National Laboratories from 2015-17.

She has endorsed the two-site approach for plutonium pit production — banking on South Carolina's SRPPF and New Mexico's PF-4 — and in late May broke news of Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility delays, saying the linchpin venture could be realized "somewhere between 2030 and 2035."

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon was encouraged by the officials' trip to the site, a major employer and economic engine for South Carolina and Georgia.

"We're happy to see the continuation of interest in the Savannah River Site," the mayor said Wednesday, "and the recognition of value that the Savannah River Site brings to the Department of Energy complex."

Hruby on Twitter said the visit was interesting and informative.

"From having lunch with early-career high performers" at the Savannah River Site "to sharing my vision and new priorities with the SRS workforce during an All Hands meeting — my day touring this #NNSA site just kept getting better and better," she wrote.