Quality of construction good at Uranium Processing Facility, project-independent review says

Quality of construction good at Uranium Processing Facility, project-independent review says

A new report gave a contractor good marks for construction quality at the Y-12 Uranium Processing Facility, which is significantly over budget and delayed. 

That’s the conclusion from the Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments, which in December published a report analyzing construction quality at the Y-12 National Security Complex’s Uranium Processing Facility (UPF). The office conducted its review from Aug. 28-31. 

Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) is the prime contractor for the Y-12 site near Oak Ridge, Tenn. Bechtel National, the lead partner on the prime, is the UPF construction subcontractor. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12 Acquisition and Project Management Office oversees the site for the federal government. 

UPF, once slated to be complete by Dec. 31, 2025 at a cost of no more than $6.5 billion, will now cost between $8.5 billion and $8.95 billion be done in the first half of fiscal 2029, NNSA has said.

In its report this month, the Enterprise Assessment office focused among other things on the effectiveness of CNS and Bechtel quality assurance processes for the design, procurement, installation, and inspection of select UPF piping structures, systems, and components related to nuclear safety, the report said.

While looking into the ongoing work at the site, the Office of Enterprise Assessments reported no weaknesses or deficiencies and five strengths.

Among other things, CNS and Bechtel were found to have established effective design verification processes that require independent reviewers to verify piping design work prior to externally releasing the design for procurement, manufacture, or construction.

In a statement emailed this week to Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor, an NNSA spokesperson said the agency was grappling with many of the same issues that have hamstrung many large enterprises in recent years.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, inflation, and increased labor costs as well as the short supply of labor are major factors affecting construction in all sectors across the United States,” an NNSA spokesperson told the Monitor in an email. “However, progress continues on UPF including the delivery and staging of the key Microwave Casting Furnaces in the Main Process Building and the delivery and installation of all major equipment in the Salvage and Accountability Building. NNSA is committed to delivering UPF to ensure the long-term viability, safety, and security of enriched uranium capabilities for the nation.”