Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Overview
Since 2006, Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), composed of, University of California, Bechtel National, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc. (B&W TSG) and the Washington Division of URS Corporation, has been the prime contractor for management and operation of LANL in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It is the Department of Energy (DOE) weapons laboratory with the largest number of defense facilities and weapons-related activities. It is one of the foremost sites for national security science, including the government's ongoing research and development on certifying the safety and reliability of nuclear weapons without the use of nuclear testing and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and protecting the U.S. from a terrorist attack.
Mission
Develop and apply science and technology to:
- Ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent;
- Reduce global threats; and
- Solve other emerging national security challenges.
Recent Accomplishments
- Scientists and engineers worked in partnership with the B&W TSG's Pantex and Y-12 plants to complete the First Production Unit for the W76-1 weapons system.
- Re-established the nation's plutonium pit fabrication capability, producing 11 W-88 pits in FY07 and seven in FY08 for delivery to the Pantex Plant.
- Worked with IBM to develop Roadrunner, the world's fastest supercomputer, which broke the petaflop computing barrier, bolstering the nation's ability to deliver models and simulations for stockpile stewardship.
- Scientists and engineers completed the second axis of the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility, which is the world's most powerful multi-pulse X-ray machine that can generate "movies" of implosions important to stockpile stewardship.
- Strengthened the nation's surveillance capability by delivering the Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System qualification unit to the spacecraft integrating contractors.
Contract/Budget
- B&W TSG started work at LANL in June 2006 as a member of the LANS team. LANS was awarded a Management & Operations (M&O) contract by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
- In December 2008, the NNSA extended the contract by one year to September 30, 2014 based on performance in FY2008.
Infrastructure
- 40 square miles (26,245 acres)
- 7,500 ft. elevation
- 1,280 buildings with nine-million gross square feet
- 11 nuclear facilities
- 268 miles of roads (100 paved)
- 26 miles of 115-KV transmission lines
- 90 miles of gas transmission lines
Workforce
- LANL employs 11,200 people, comprised of scientists, engineers, technicians, support professionals, contractors, postdoctoral fellows, and students.
- The staff includes over 2,100 Ph.D.s in physics, engineering, chemistry, materials science, life science, geology, mathematics, computer science, and other sciences.
Community Impact
Charitable contributions from LANS help fund educational programs and scholarships through the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, United Way projects, and economic development through the Regional Development Corporation in Los Alamos.
