SRS Watch news release – January 12, 2015
DOE Management Report Outlines Deep Problems with Management of Plutonium Fuel (MOX) Project and Indicates Cost of the MOX Plant could be Up to $12 Billion
MOX Cost and Schedule Continues to Spin Out of Control as DOE Studies the Problem – Will Secretary Moniz Act and Ax MOX?
Columbia, SC – A report on project management problems just released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) indicates that the cost of construction of the plutonium fuel (MOX) plant at the Savannah River Site (SRS) could reach a stunning $12 billion, which is far above the current public estimate of $7.7 billion.
The report, to be formally released by Secretary of Energy Moniz on January 15, indicates that the MOX plant is 50% complete and that the cost to the tax payer of the project’s “capital work range from $8‐12 billion depending on the funding profiles.” Currently, DOE’s publicly released cost estimate for the construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) is $7.7 billion but the public interest group Savannah River Site Watch (SRS Watch) is seeking, via the Freedom of Information Act, internal cost estimates being withheld from public scrutiny.
full news release linked here
Websites for report:
http://energy.gov/articles/improving-project-management-department-energy
http://energy.gov/downloads/improving-project-management
DOE’s Improving Project Management Report linked here