The Nation : Nuclear Plant May Be Shut a Long Time

Production of material for nuclear weapons will not be resumed until longtime safety problems are corrected in the troubled reactors at the Savannah River Plant near Aiken, S.C. Officials first said a Nov. 1 target date had been set for restarting one reactor, but others said that was in error and no timetable has been set. The New York Times, meanwhile, reported that senior Administration officials believe the Savannah reactors may be out of service so long that the United States might have to start deactivating nuclear warheads to recover radioactive elements for use in higher priority weapons. The plant had been rocked by disclosure that up to 30 significant mishaps occurred at the facility over the last three decades, and that many had not been reported. All three reactors have been shut down since an August accident. The plant produces plutonium, which the government has in adequate supply, and tritium, which is said to be in short supply.