Despite the failure to secure a location in North Dakota for a deep-borehole nuclear waste storage field test, the Department of Energy does not anticipate any significant fluctuation in the cost of the $35 million project.
Lead contractor Battelle Memorial Institute had planned to break ground on the five-year project near Rugby, N.D., in September, but it was scuttled by local officials and residents who feared the test would lead to eventual storage of nuclear waste in the state. Battelle emphasized throughout the process that the test did not involve nuclear waste.
DOE spokesman Bill Wicker by email Thursday that the department has not to date received any invoices from Battelle on the project, but officials do not believe the fallout in North Dakota will severely impact costs.
“Given that drilling has not yet started and considering that the contract work scope to accomplish this research is essentially the same regardless of the site, DOE does not expect the total cost to be significantly affected,” he stated. “But, there could be cost impacts depending on the site ultimately selected; any contract change, including changes impacting cost, will have to be justified and agreed to.”
Battelle is preparing a new proposal, he said.
