May 21, 2015

Alleged Nuclear Material Control and Accountability Weaknesses at the Department of Energy's Portsmouth Project

The Department of Energy's (Department's) Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Portsmouth) currently maintains uranium rated as Category III and IV according to Department Order 474.2, Nuclear Material Control and Accountability.  Department Order 474.2 requires that accurate records of nuclear materials are maintained and physical inventories are conducted to provide assurance that nuclear material is not missing.  The contractor site operator must develop, implement, and maintain a Nuclear Material Control and Accountability program on a graded safeguards basis that includes provisions for accurate nuclear material inventory information, along with controls to deter, detect, and respond to the loss or misuse of nuclear material.

The Office of Inspector General received a complaint that nuclear material accountability and access controls at Portsmouth were not adequate.  In response, we initiated a review to determine the facts and circumstances regarding this allegation.  In general, nothing came to our attention to indicate that the required nuclear material access controls were not in place.  However, we found that improvements at Portsmouth could be made to increase confidence that nuclear material was accounted for and that any compromised tamper indicating devices protecting nuclear material are replaced in a timely manner.  Management concurred with the report's recommendations and indicated that corrective actions had been taken to address the issues identified.

Topic: National Security & Safety