The three-phase decommission and demolition of the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor, SEFOR, is back on schedule after money ran out in March. When the 1960s-era nuclear fission test facility east of the Strickler community in rural south Washington County ceased operations, the site was licensed by the University of Arkansas for research purposes. The U of A Facilities Division has monitored and taken care of the property ever since. In early April, the university and two Arkansas members of Congress secured critical funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for final phase of cleanup. Soon, an expert crew will remove the de-fueled but still-radioactive reactor and a large steel dome which houses it. We travel to the heavily surveilled site to meet with project manager, Dean Wheeler, one of the nation's top nuclear waste experts.
Final Decommissioning of Remote Nuclear Reactor to Proceed
1 of
Energy Solutions nuclear waste expert, Dean Wheeler, stands in front of SEFOR's sealed nuclear reactor containment dome.
J. Froelich / KUAF
2 of
A second gate opens into SEFOR's work site.
J. Froelich / KUAF
3 of
The gate entry for SEFOR's 640-acre compound shows work-in-progress signage.
J. Froelich / KUAF
4 of
Caretaker's home stands on SEFOR's grounds
J. Froelich / KUAF
