The National Nuclear Security Administration has decided to begin conceptual design work for a new facility to make plutonium pits, the core components of nuclear weapons. The new plant could cost between $2.2 billion and $4.1 billion, depending on the desired production capacity, and would be on line by 2020, according to an NNSA statement released today. NNSA manages the nuclear weapons complex for the Energy Department. Plutonium pits are the softball-sized triggers used to detonate nuclear explosions. The United...
