Hundreds Line up for Tour of SEFOR Nuclear Plant

Hundreds showed up for an inside look at the SEFOR operation.

Cleanup and demolition work of the plant will begin within days.

Bob Hanna, left, who worked at the plant for SWEPCO, talks with UA facilities chief Mike Johnson.

A sign from earlier times.

A view of the control room.

More than 400 people waited patiently for their chance for a tour.

Whit Pruitt

Inside the decommissioned SEFOR nuclear power plant near Strickler

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – More than 400 people from the Strickler community in Washington County and beyond waited through long lines and chilly weather for a chance to tour inside SEFOR — the University of Arkansas’ decommissioned nuclear test reactor.

SEFOR — officially the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor — was built in 1968 near Strickler and decommissioned in 1974. Nuclear fuel and coolant were removed and the plant was given to the U of A, which has been trying to get federal funding to dismantle it for more than four decades. This fall U.S. Sen. John Boozman and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack announced a $10.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to begin removing the remaining hazardous materials and begin demolishing the buildings.

The tours were conducted by staff from Energy Solutions, the contractor that will handle the cleanup. The goal was to help the people in the community see what the cleanup will involve.

Most of those who took the tour said they’d been curious about the plant for years, and enjoyed getting to see what was inside. Others had actually worked in SEFOR, and were saying a last goodbye. Many brought their cameras for some final souvenirs.

This phase of the cleanup should be finished by the end of September. The university is hoping to receive an additional $16 million federal grant for the final phase, which will return the site to greenfield conditions, possibly before the end of 2018.