Four battery banks consisting of 260 individual battery modules weighing more than 90 tons were successfully transported from the Savannah River Site (SRS) and will have opportunity for a new life in the future. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) selected the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) to remove the batteries from the Site for final disposition. This process was completed weeks ahead of schedule in March.

Removing the batteries was a significant undertaking. The four battery banks have 840 battery cells combined. The two larger banks each have 360 cells and can supply up to 3,000 amps per hour continuously for three hours. For comparison, a microwave typically runs up to 15 amps. These high
capacity batteries were originally intended to be used as a backup power source in the canceled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication (MOX) Facility project and were installed early in the facility’s construction for circuit breaker testing.

Scott Raish, MOX Termination Project Director, said, “The process to transfer the batteries to SRSCRO was no small task. I am proud to say it was completed safely, efficiently and ahead of schedule. The 260 battery modules weigh over 90 tons when combined. Due to the immense weight, five truck loads were required to transport them off-site.”

Rick McLeod, SRSCRO President and CEO, said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with NNSA and SRNS to disposition the batteries for potential reuse. Working together, we were able to finish the removal process early, and next, we’ll determine final disposition of the batteries.”

This dispositioning process is part of NNSA’s strategy for obtaining the greatest benefit from materials no longer needed for the canceled MOX Facility project. NNSA and SRNS are working together to apply a rigorous review process to determine potential uses for the excess material and equipment, giving top priority to the agency’s projects at SRS and elsewhere.

The batteries were determined to be unneeded by NNSA or U.S. Department of Energy programs at SRS or elsewhere. SRSCRO will be responsible for the potential reuse or final disposition of the batteries.