Reduced staffing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Department of Energy to suspend construction of the Saltstone Disposal Unit 7 (SDU 7) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said in a recent report.
The April 3 staff report filed with DNFSB Technical Director Christopher Roscetti noted that fewer than 2,500 workers were on-site at the time at Savannah River due to concerns about the virus. Under normal circumstances, SRS has a combined federal and contractor workforce of roughly 11,000.
In February 2018, contractor Savannah River Remediation broke ground on the 32-million-gallon concrete facility for permanent disposal of solidified radioactive salt waste from Savannah River’s storage tanks.
Altogether, about 35 million gallons of radioactive salt and sludge waste is stored in more than 40 tanks at the site. The waste, left over from Cold War nuclear weapons production, is 90% salt waste and 10% sludge. The Energy Department has previously indicated the disposal unit should be completed in spring 2022.
In addition to suspension of construction of Saltstone Disposal Unit 7, the DNFSB said Energy Department contractor Parsons was temporarily halting work on Salt Waste Processing Facility dark cells. As recently as March, DOE and Parsons envisioned the facility beginning operations this month. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DOE is re-evaluating that schedule.
Once operational, the Salt Waste Processing Facility should increase processing of Savannah River’s salt waste from 1.5 million gallons a year to 6 million gallons annually, officials have said.
