The Nuclear Weapons Council toured the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Savannah River Site in Georgia last week, said the National Nuclear Security Administration. Attendees received briefings on plutonium pit production at both facilities and tritium production at Savannah.

Plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site would help boost the local economy, including adding hundreds of jobs to the area, supporters said. Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker and Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon have both voiced support for the plan.

The buildup in plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site has led to 221 job offers for former Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility employees. SRS intends to make 50 plutonium pits by 2030, said Nicole Nelson-Jean, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Savannah River Field Office.

The Defense and Energy departments' nuclear budget for the next 10 years would have $9 billion for plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site and Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The total nuclear-related budget would be $494 billion -- 23% higher than the previous estimate made in 2017.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has been contracted for planning and design of a plutonium pit production facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.