Pantex
Overview
The Pantex Plant, located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas, in Carson County, is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is managed and operated by Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Pantex, LLC, (B&W Pantex) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Mission
Pantex has five primary missions.
- Evaluate, retrofit, and repair weapons in support of both life-extension programs (LEP) and certification of weapon safety and reliability.
- Dismantle weapons that are surplus to the strategic stockpile.
- Sanitize components from dismantled weapons.
- Develop, test, and fabricate high-explosive components.
- Provide interim storage and surveillance of plutonium pits.
Recent Accomplishments
- Improved total recordable case rates by 86 percent and lost-time case rates have improved by 90 percent since end of FY2001.
- Earned the lowest Total Recordable Case rate in Pantex history in 2008.
- Completed more than 1,100 weapons units in 2008 almost tripling production work since February 2004.
- Delivered the B61 Mod 11 Rebuild First Production Unit.
- Completed the First Production Unit for the W76-1.
- Dispositioned over 100,000 weapon components.
- Named one of America's safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine.
- Earned Gold Level membership status in the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality’s Clean Texas Program for environmental accomplishments.
- Entered long-term stewardship for Environmental Restoration.
- Awarded four Pollution Prevention (P2) awards from the DOE/NNSA. Pantex received a Best-in-Class Award for Electronics Recycling.
- Received DOE Secretary’s Appreciation Award for Electrical Safety.
- Earned back-to-back BEST Award from the American Society for Training & Development for achieving success through enterprise-wide learning opportunities for employees.
- Established leadership development program - "Stand and Deliver" - within the Safeguards & Security Division.
Contract/Budget
The facility has been managed and operated by B&W Pantex since 2001. The NNSA extended the current contract through September 2010.
Infrastructure
- Pantex covers 16,000 acres (about 25 square miles). The DOE owns 10,000 acres and leases approximately 6,000 acres from Texas Tech University, primarily as a safety and security buffer. About 2,000 acres are utilized for plant operations.
- Pantex has more than 700 buildings, including specialized facilities called Cells and Bays where maintenance, modification, disassembly and assembly operations are conducted. The site's replacement value is about $5.1 billion.
Workforce
- Approximately 3,600 people are employed at Pantex with 3,300 working for B&W Pantex, and the remaining staff for one of several federal entities at the site.
- Two bargaining units represent union employees. The Metal Trades Council is comprised of 12 separate unions that represent crafts, production and clerical workers. Security Force personnel are represented by the Pantex Guard Union.
Community Impact
Pantex Plant has an approximate $1 billion annual impact on the local economy. In addition, B&W Pantex supports a wide variety of community relations programs. Pantex earned the Amarillo United Way's Breaking the Barrier Award in recognition for its employees' pledging more than $500,000 to the United Way and for having more Leadership Givers ($1,000 and up) than any other corporation in the community. Pantex has received numerous awards for employee volunteerism and corporate donations to local groups such as the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Education, Women in Science Endeavors, Downtown Women's Center, Panhandle Mental Health/Mental Retardation, Coffee Memorial Blood Center, Girl Scouts and the American Cancer Society.
Educational outreach is another important aspect of Pantex community outreach activities. B&W Pantex sponsors dozens of educational programs from elementary school through graduate school. B&W Pantex funds a $300,000 technical scholarship program. The company also collaborates with Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation for a new engineering graduate studies program in Amarillo. In addition, Pantex supports Amarillo College's Nondestructive Testing program.
