[Maria S]

"Pantex" is the final assembly plant for nuclear weapons,and is located in the Texas Panhandle, near Amarillo, Texas. It is under contract from the government to a company called BWXT (Mason-Hanger, Silas Mason Co., Inc. used to be the contractor). A couple of years ago, I was listening to a talk radio program about the Chinese company Hutchison Whampoa and how it leases the Panama Canal. The female caller said that she had been told BWXT ALSO was owned by Hutchison Whampoa! Not a great thing, if true!

I have searched every way I know to prove or disprove this, and haven't been able to find much out. If anyone knows anything about this, I'd appreciate hearing it.

[Jeff Head]

Check out #15.

[Paul Ross]

I have also not heard of this. Will have to do a lot of digging, I'm afraid.

But I have found a number of links to BWXT on the Web, which indicates that BWXT is currently held by the large energy conglomerate, McDermott. As to the linkage of Hutchinson-Wahampoa to McDermott, I am not aware. That is not to say they are not there.

Here is some self-history of BWXT:

			. . .  of Technical Innovation and Service 1953 Atomic Energy Division formed. First reactor fuel production facility announced. 1956 Company builds world's first commercial Critical Experiment Laboratory (CX-1). Nuclear Facilities Plant begins operation in Lynchburg, Virginia. 1957 Reactor components built for world's first commercial nuclear ship N.S. Savannah. 1958 Fabrication begins for research and test reactors for colleges, universities, and national laboratories. 1967 World's largest and longest running test reactor designed and fabricated. 1978 Acquired by McDermott, Inc., a world-wide energy services company. 1985 Contract for cavities for Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). 1988 Contract awarded for design space nuclear thermal propulsion system. 1990 Contract for design of tritium production reactor at DOE Savannah River site. 1991 Contract for development and manufacture of superconducting magnets for particle physics facility. Selected to manage and operate Specific Manufacturing Capability project at DOE Idaho. 1994 On winning team to manage DOE's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 1995 On winning team to manage DOE's Rocky Flats Environmental Test Site. Contract for Solar Bi-Modal space power and propulsion system. 1996 On winning team to manage DOE's Hanford and Savannah River Sites. 1997 BWX Technologies, Inc. formed. Former nuclear fuels plant in Pennsylvania decommissioned and released for unrestricted use. Wins prime contract for clean-up of DOE's Mound Site in Ohio. 1998 First Solar BI-Modal space flight contract awarded for Solar Orbital Transfer Vehicle. 1999 On winning team to manage DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Subcontractor on winning team to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 2000 Selected as prime contractor to manage and operate DOE's Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. Selected as prime contractor to manage and operate DOE's Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. 2001 Wins contract from University of California for work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. For additional information, please contact: BWXT Public Relations (434) 522-5937 bwxtinfo@mcdermott.com