# 2026-14659: Government Seeks New Uses for Massive Secret Heavy Water Stash

2026-14659, Request for Information on Domestic Reuse and Repurposing of Savannah River Site Heavy Water Inventory, is a Federal Register notice from Energy Department published 2026-07-21, effective 2026-07-21; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-28).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14659
- As of: 2026-07-28
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-14659
- Title: Request for Information on Domestic Reuse and Repurposing of Savannah River Site Heavy Water Inventory
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Energy Department
- Citation: 91 FR 45799
- Published: 2026-07-21
- Effective: 2026-07-21
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-07-28

## In one line

Government Seeks New Uses for Massive Secret Heavy Water Stash

## Summary

The Department of Energy wants ideas on how to reuse 530,000 gallons of special heavy water stored at the Savannah River Site. They’re looking for partners to help clean and repurpose this water for science, medicine, and industry in the U.S., possibly by building new facilities on-site. If you’re interested, you need to send your ideas by September 21, 2026, so the government can plan how to make the most of this valuable resource.

## Abstract

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) publishes the following questions regarding potential collaboration for the reuse of its heavy water inventory at the Savannah River Site (SRS). SRS has about 530,000 gallons of heavy water, which may be processed using scalable methods to remove tritium and other impurities, to ensure the water meets commercial standards for new heavy water. The purpose of this RFI is to seek input on how DOE-EM can facilitate the beneficial reuse of this material specifically to support domestic scientific, medical, and industrial needs, thereby strengthening the United States (U.S.) isotope supply chain. DOE-EM is also open to discussions regarding the potential for interested parties to lease land or develop facilities on the SRS site for heavy water processing or repurposing activities. Respondents should note that industry partners would be responsible for the subsequent extraction of isotopes or repurposing of the material.

## Effects PRIA read

- Partners Must Pay for Processing and Waste: cost, high. If you partner with DOE to reuse the 530,000 gallons of heavy water at the Savannah River Site, your organization would be solely responsible for extracting isotopes, de-tritiation, purification, repurposing, and for managing and disposing of any waste streams or byproducts generated from those act…
- No Funding for RFI Responses: cost, low. DOE will not provide funding or compensation for any information submitted in response to this Request for Information, and this notice does not constitute a funding opportunity announcement. Responses must be submitted by September 21, 2026.
- Opportunity to Lease or Build On-Site Facilities: benefit, medium. DOE-EM is open to discussions with interested parties about leasing land or developing facilities on the Savannah River Site to process or repurpose the approximately 530,000 gallons of heavy water. Parties interested in on-site operations may propose facility footprints, utility needs, and other s…
- DOE May Accept Separated Tritium: benefit, low. DOE states it may have an interest in receiving and utilizing tritium if an industry partner separates it from the heavy water. That could provide a disposition pathway for separated tritium produced during processing of the SRS inventory.

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## Sources
- [2026-14659 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/21/2026-14659/request-for-information-on-domestic-reuse-and-repurposing-of-savannah-river-site-heavy-water)
- [2026-14659 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-21/pdf/2026-14659.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-14658, Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14658)
- [Next: 2026-14660, Agency Information Collection Extension](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14660)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14659 (as of 2026-07-28).