Kenneth Fletcher
NS&D Monitor
1/9/2015
Construction work has been completed on the Savannah River Site’s Waste Solidification Building as the site’s managing contractor is preparing to put the facility into an “interim layup” due to delays in completion of the related Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project. The WSB is designed to process waste streams from the MOX plant. However, given that startup of the MOX plant has been delayed until at least beyond 2019, the National Nuclear Security Administration in early 2014 directed SRS managing contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions to put the WSB into a layup state upon construction completion. Subsequently, last spring the NNSA announced plans to suspend construction of the MOX project indefinitely, however lawmakers have provided funding to move MOX construction forward in FY 2015 and the future of the project remains uncertain.
The WSB building recently reached the mechanical completion milestone with completion of physical work and is moving into interim layup awaiting completion of the MOX project, according to SRNS spokeswoman Angie French. “In the interim layup state, certain plant systems will be operational for facility habitability and to ensure that all plant systems are maintained for future operation,” she said. “For those systems that will be placed in operation, SRNS will complete startup testing activities to verify system functionality. Key safety systems, such as those for fire detection and suppression, will be tested and fully functional during interim layup. All process systems will be placed in a formally defined layup configuration, which will include a preventative maintenance program to preclude system deterioration.”
Layup Modifications Underway
Necessary plant modifications are underway for the layup configuration, French said. “SRNS will continue with completion of documentation/records, system startup testing and system layup modifications through the spring of 2015 with the goal of completing all activities necessary to achieve the Project CD-4 milestone in the summer of 2015,” she said. The layup will actually be a “cost avoidance” when compared with previous plans, according to French. “There are savings associated with deferring some of the startup work, which offset the cost of putting the facility into layup,” she said.
Project Had Been Longstanding Issue
The WSB has been a longstanding issue for SRNS. In 2012, an NNSA contracting officer criticized management of the project and threatened to withhold fee, and in 2013 a WSB subcontractor filed suit against SRNS for breach of contract and fraud. The completion of WSB this fiscal year marks a two-year delay from previous estimates, which set completion for 2013. Costs for the WSB project also rose in 2013 from a baseline of $344.5 million to $415 million.
Due to the layup, a number of activities, such as putting windows on gloveboxes or agitators inside tanks to assist inspections will not take place, according to an Oct. 24 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Site Representative Report. “Furthermore, the laboratory analytical equipment will not be purchased until needed. SRNS will conduct a limited amount of startup testing, mostly focusing on facility utilities. The ventilation system will be temporarily modified so that it will have one zone during the layup period,” the report states.
