High Explosives Science and Engineering Facility

About the Project

The High Explosives Science and Engineering (HESE) Facility is a 72,762-square-foot complex located at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. Constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the High Explosives Science and Engineering Facility modernizes critical infrastructure supporting the nation’s nuclear security mission. The project replaces 15 aging facilities, many of which date to the World War II era and had an average age of 68 years, with a centralized campus designed to support Pantex’s role as the High Explosives Center of Excellence for Manufacturing.

The High Explosives Science and Engineering Facility consists of three primary structures: the High Explosives Laboratory, the Technology Development and Deployment Laboratory and the High Explosives Staging Facility. Together, these facilities provide laboratory, office and support space for high explosives manufacturing support, surveillance, testing and technology development. The new complex consolidates activities that were previously distributed across multiple buildings, bringing key scientific, engineering and technology development functions together in one location.

According to the NNSA, the facility supports the qualification of new high explosives, stewardship of legacy high explosives returning from the nuclear weapons stockpile, computational and experimental capabilities, as well as the development of additional evaluation and diagnostic tools. The project also provides laboratory and office space to support technology development personnel responsible for advancing the Pantex Plant’s mission.

Construction of the High Explosives Science and Engineering Facility was completed in 2026 following groundbreaking in late 2020. The completed facility consolidates operations previously performed across multiple buildings, providing modern laboratory and support space that enhances collaboration and supports evolving mission requirements and future weapons modernization efforts.

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