DOE needs to fully reveal what’s going on with the start-up of the new high-level waste processing facility – Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) – at SRS. DOE remains silent about various problems that have been reported by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), giving the impression of a cover-up.
The issue of the fate of high-level waste management at SRS is far too important for DOE to not fully inform the public as to the status of initial operations of this new and costly facility.
Yet again DOE has shirked its responsibility and it has fallen again to the the DNFSB to report SWPF problems, this time in the “Savannah River Site Activity Report for Week Ending November 27, 2020:”
“Salt Waste Processing Facility: Parsons processed the first batch of undiluted feed through the caustic side solvent extraction process. Parsons encountered hard shutdowns due to equipment issues when they tried to start up the process the next three times.”
DNFSB report: https://www.dnfsb.gov/sites/default/files/document/22451/Savannah%20River%20Week%20Ending%20November%2027%202020.pdf
See earlier SRS Watch posts on the issue:
Thanks goodness for an independent DNFSB. SRS Watch and our fellow groups in the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) will continue to support the important work of the DNFSB and push back against DOE attempts to suppress or control the work of the board.