WASHINGTON --- Continuing to process nuclear materials at the aging Savannah River Site will probably cost more and take longer than the Energy Department has projected, government auditors said in a report issued Friday.
The Eisenhower-era "H-Canyon" facility at SRS is believed to be safe, the General Accountability Office report said. But health and environmental studies needed before additional processing can begin have been delayed by as much as two years because the site doesn't have the staff to complete them. Also, with storage tanks nearing capacity, the facility can't manage the spent fuel planned to be shipped there without costly improvements. The most important of those -- the Salt Waste Processing Facility -- has been delayed twice and is running years behind its original 2009 completion schedule. As recently as 2004, the Energy Department had planned to close H-Canyon by 2007. But it now intends to continue operations until 2019. The plan is expected to cost $4.3 billion to $4.6 billion.
The audit said that budget doesn't cover all associated costs -- including about $253 million for storing and treating the waste generated by H-Canyon operations. It also said the Energy Department is likely to identify additional nuclear materials that could be processed there, further extending its operations.
The report said H-Canyon poses challenges in part because of its age.
"H-Canyon is more than 50 years old and, therefore, has a higher risk of major equipment or other failures," the report said.
Environmental groups welcomed the findings, saying the audit bolsters their arguments for using other methods to process the radioactive materials.
"Given the great costs and risks to the public, an early shutdown of the H-Canyon is called for," said Tom Clements, a nuclear coordinator for Friends of the Earth.
The Energy Department said the facility is safe and that it is working to further document cost estimates and to complete the safety documentation.
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