Pantex meets two HESE milestones

Teams celebrate a final concrete pour and a dry-in for two of three buildings in the HESE complex.

CNS and NPO leadership look on as the final 250 cubic yards of concrete are placed to complete the High Explosive lab foundation.

Amarillo, TX – Two buildings at the Pantex Plant’s High Explosive Science and Engineering (HESE) complex met major milestones in late September.

Crews put the Technology Development and Deployment Lab (TDDL) “in the dry” and poured the final concrete placement of the 2000+ cubic yard operating floor and foundation of the High Explosives (HE) Lab. The Pantex HESE complex is essential to the nation’s Nuclear Security Enterprise and will replace 15 aging facilities at Pantex with three new structures.

“Drying-in the TDDL represents a turning point in the project where we are able to begin major elements of interior construction,” Cody Edwards, project manager for prime subcontractor Hensel Phelps, said. “The onset of these activities sets the stage for multiple trade partners and finish-out scopes.”

The 72,762-sq-ft HESE complex includes the TDDL, the HE Lab, and an HE staging facility.

“The ‘all-in’ attitude of our integrated HESE project team demonstrates the commitment our employees have to the national security mission,” Pantex Senior Director for Project Management Russell Daniel said. “Momentum gained from the successes on these facilities significantly advance our site modernization initiatives and efforts to upgrade the infrastructure at Pantex.”

The effort supports modernization efforts as structures are removed and new ones are set to take their place, reinforcing Pantex’s manufacturing mission and the site’s designation as NNSA’s HE Center of Excellence.

The complex will provide laboratory space, classified and unclassified office and meeting areas, and a shower and change-out area for HE Operations personnel all in closer proximity to HE manufacturing operations at Pantex.

“This is another milestone captured and made possible by a huge team effort,” CNS Construction Manager Steve Kemp said. “It’s a significant milestone for sure and I am very excited to see the team perform and ‘go get’ the next one!”

The HESE is forecasted to be completed in March 2028.