WESPORT NUCLEAR PROCESSING PLANT

The Westport Nuclear Processing Plant had been built in about 1973 in Westport Beach, California. Amy Austin and Tim Wexler, who had both been college friends of MacGyver, had taken jobs there after graduation.

Years later, when Amy had become the Director of Research at the plant, she discovered that someone had altered the records to cover up the theft, little by little over time, of 30 kilos of weapons-grade uranium, enough to build a nuclear bomb. She filed a report with her boss, Gerald Hillman, the General Manager of the facility, and the two of them searched the plant for the missing uranium without success. Hillman left to catch a flight for Washington, but he was killed under suspicious circumstances, and Amy realized that she, too, was being targeted. In fear for her life, she reached out to MacGyver, and he flew to Westport Beach.

Together, MacGyver and Amy discovered that Police Chief Ed Train had orchestrated the theft and that he had been working in cooperation with Tim Wexler. As Train prepared to deliver the uranium to his buyers in exchange for $50 million, he intended to kill any witnesses, including MacGyver, Amy, and Tim's co-worker Kyle. Tim pleaded with Train to simply tie them up, but as he tried to wrestle the gun away from Train, Tim was wounded in the abdomen, Kyle was shot in the shoulder, and bullets struck the control console, shorting out the system and putting the plant in danger of a meltdown that would have contaminated half the state.

As Train attempted to make his escape with the stolen uranium, Tim and Kyle monitored the control panels, and MacGyver and Amy climbed to the top of the facility to manually clear the blockage in the high pressure injection system, allowing coolant to flow and successfully averting a crisis.

Location: Terminal Island Treatment Plant, 555 Terminal Way, San Pedro

Cross Reference: Amy Austin, Kyle, Ed Train, Westport Beach, Tim Wexler

Episode Reference: Flame's End