Energy Secretary Rick Perry suggested Wednesday that material processed through the Energy Department’s suggested dilute and dispose method for eliminating 34 metric tons of excess weapon-usable plutonium could potentially be stored somewhere other than the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The administration is pushing for termination of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility under construction in South Carolina, calling instead for a cheaper and quicker alternative: the dilute and dispose method, which involves blending the excess plutonium with inert materials and storing the resulting mixture in a geologic repository.
The Energy Department has said this repository would be WIPP, but Perry said Wednesday “there are obviously other options” for disposal other than that facility. He did not specify which options he would consider, saying only that no decisions have been made yet to this end.
Perry during the hearing repeated his objection to continuing the MOX project, primarily due to cost. This followed pleas from lawmakers Tuesday during a House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee hearing for Perry to resolve discrepancies between the project contractor and the administration, which both have their own estimates for construction cost and completion date.
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the facility will cost $17.2 billion to complete by 2048, the contractor says it will be $10 billion by 2029.
