Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
4/18/2014
The Department of Energy is reportedly examining alternatives to commissioning the Savannah River Site’s Salt Waste Processing Facility as startup talks for the project with facility contractor Parsons have gone on for more than six months without resolution. Parsons submitted a “best and final offer” in late March for commissioning and startup of the plant. However, DOE subsequently prepared a counteroffer but has not yet submitted it to Parsons. Instead, the Department is reportedly considering an analysis of alternatives to commissioning the SWPF, which is planned to greatly increase the tank waste processing capacity at the Savannah River Site.
DOE and Parsons have had to negotiate a new contract for the SWPF since delays in the delivery of key tanks for the facility caused the project’s price tag to increase substantially. A new agreement-in-principle reached last June covered only construction and pushed out completion of the facility from 2014 to late 2016, with commissioning and start-up to be addressed in a future agreement. But since then, talks have continued on for a separate agreement covering the startup portion. DOE’s fact finding process for the discussions began in September, and formal negotiations began in December. The Department this week did not provide new information on the discussions. “DOE is continuing discussions with Parsons regarding Salt Waste Processing Facility contract modifications for the startup and commissioning phases of the project,” a DOE spokesperson said in a written response.
S.C.: Alternatives Would Need to Beat Current Schedule
Any alternative to SWPF startup would likely involve the interim tank waste processing capability at Savannah River led by contractor Savannah River Remediation, called the Actinide Removal Process and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction. Unit. However, that system only can process a fraction of the planned throughput of SWPF, with a record so far of 1.3 million gallons of tank waste per year compared to estimates for SWPF of 7 million gallons to more than 10 million gallons per year. SRR is currently deploying a new solvent into the interim process that has the potential to increase throughput, though it will likely still be far lower than what SWPF is expected to process.
Any alternatives to SWPF that delay tank closure would be a hard sell to South Carolina state regulators, who have threatened the Department with fines due to likely missed tank waste cleanup milestones and a missed commitment for SWPF startup in 2015. “The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has not been notified of an alternatives assessment for the Salt Waste Processing Facility,” DHEC federal facilities liaison Shelly Wilson said in a written response. “DHEC is open to alternatives that process waste in a time frame that meets or beats the current milestone schedules for tank closure and waste treatment.”
