This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
The "ultra-secure uranium warehouse of the future" in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is now built, if not quite ready for work. Part of Complex 2030—the Bush Administration's ambitious and little known plan to revamp the nation's aging infrastructure for building nuclear weapons—the warehouse will provide one location for the nation's supply of the highly enriched uranium (HEU) that makes for a powerful nuclear bomb.
Two years of testing remain before the HEU will actually show up, but the $549 million facility will replace "multiple" current storage locations scattered throughout the country. The HEU depot used 92,000 cubic yards of concrete, 5,800 tons of rebar and contains more than 1.5 million feet of wiring—and will ultimately be one of two locations used to store and process "thousands of containers of material," according to the National Nuclear Security Administration, the branch of the U.S. Department of Energy tasked with dealing with the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Of course, it remains an open question what said nuclear arsenal—at least 10,000 missiles and other weapons—is for, nearly 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, all that fissile uranium has to go somewhere and it might as well be the thickest bunker in Tennessee.
Credit: istockphoto.com
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