DOE-EM ANNOUNCES HB-LINE OPERATION RESTART AT SAVANNAH RIVER SITE

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced its decision to restart HB-Line operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Read the announcement from DOE-EM below:

"HB-Line is a specialized processing facility within the H-Canyon complex, the only chemical separations facility of its kind in the United States.

Restarting HB-Line provides the capability to power America’s nuclear future by recycling surplus plutonium and partnering with industry to produce uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.

The restart decision is the first step in a multi-year restart plan that directly supports President Trump’s Executive Orders on Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base and Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, which call for jumpstarting America’s nuclear industrial base to ensure national and economic security. 

The decision will accelerate EM’s surplus plutonium disposition mission by 10 to 13 years and save American taxpayers an estimated $350 million in lifecycle costs. 

Restarting HB-Line also creates an opportunity to recover valuable isotopes currently available in limited domestic quantities, supporting critical needs in scientific research and commercial applications."

DON'T MISS OUT! REGISTER FOR THE NEW NUCLEAR FORUM TODAY

Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is pleased to host the fifth annual ECA Forum in Augusta, GA from April 21 - April 24, 2026. The meeting is part of ECA’s ongoing New Nuclear Initiative to define the role of local governments in supporting the development of the new nuclear technologies.

We are thrilled to announce a growing list of speakers who are joining us at the ECA Forum: 

Tim Walsh – Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM

James McConnell – Associate Principal Deputy Administrator, NNSA

Jack Craig - Senior Vice President, Atkins Realis

Cristina Paredes – Executive Director, SC Nexus

Rod Baltzer – CEO, Deep Isolation

Chuck Hope – Councilmember, City of Oak Ridge and ECA Chair

Robbie Bennett – President & CEO, SRSCRO

Jennifer Chandler – Council Member, Village of Piketon 

Doreen Harris - CEO, NYSERDA

Suzanne Jaworowski - Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources, State of Indiana 

Mckinsey Lyon – VP of External Affairs, Perpetua Resources

Shay Lundvall – Mayor, City of Gillette, WY

Kirt Marlow - President, Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium 

Chris Stearns – Representative (District 47-Position 2), Washington State Legislature

April Wade – Executive Director, Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium

Sandra Wilson – Mayor Pro Tem, City of Paducah

We would like to give a big thanks to Gold Sponsor Atkins Realis for their support of energy communities and making this must-attend event a reality.

Atkins Realis are stewards of CANDU® technology, a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design, which has been used to generate electric power for more than 60 years. For almost 30 years, Atkins has successfully addressed some of the industry’s most challenging cleanup and decommissioning tasks across various facilities. They offer an array of specialized nuclear safety, quality assurance, oversight and assessment services, supported by a team of experienced personnel dedicated to serving our customers.

Meet Atkins Realis and a whole host of other nuclear leaders, developers, and innovators at the ECA Forum!

REGISTRATION RATES
General Attendees -  $950.00.
Non-Profit & Government attendees - $795.00.

SCHEDULE:

April 21 | Registration Opens & Nuclear 101
April 22 | Full-Day General Session
April 23 | Half-Day General Session
April 24 | All-Day Tour

ECA is working with private and community partners to develop an agenda that takes a comprehensive look at what new nuclear projects require - from the front-end to the back-end of the fuel cycle to aligning support at local, state and federal levels. The Forum will explore emerging options for enabling legislation, public-private partnerships and regulatory oversight.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The ECA Forum is open to communities, State, Tribal and local policymakers, industry, utilities, developers, experts, financiers, state legislators, community groups, and economic development organizations working to build capacity and support for new nuclear development in the U.S.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS