Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
7/11/2014
In the first financial penalty levied in relation to the February events at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Department of Energy has reduced the available fee for contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership by $2 million in connection with the salt truck fire in the WIPP underground, WC Monitor has learned. The reduction equals about 25 percent of the available fee for Fiscal Year 2014, but the contractor can earn back 50 percent of that fee through good performance on corrective actions. The fee reduction is linked specifically to the Feb. 5 salt truck fire at WIPP and not the Feb. 14 radiation release, for which the investigation is still ongoing. The Department may decide to take further action related to the release once an investigation is complete.
DOE’s Accident Investigation Board report on the salt truck fire wrapped up in March, and found numerous issues that contributed to what it deemed a preventable incident. Those include a lack of proper maintenance and an inadequate response to the event. The fire most likely started when a buildup of flammable fluids on the truck, such as diesel fuel or hydraulic fluid, came in contact with a hot surface such as the catalytic convertor, the Accident Investigation Board found. However, the root cause of the accident was a failure by NWP “to adequately recognize and mitigate the hazard regarding a fire in the underground,” the report states. “This includes recognition and removal of the buildup of combustibles through inspections, and periodic preventative maintenance, e.g., cleaning and the decision to deactivate the automatic onboard fire suppression system.”
When asked to comment on the fee reduction, NWP said in a statement: “Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP) is committed to safe operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. We are working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy to implement changes necessary to address the issues noted by the Accident Investigation Board. NWP is confident in our recovery progress to date and expect a full return to nuclear operations with enhanced processes, procedures and equipment.” DOE declined to comment this week.
DNFSB Member Tours WIPP
Meanwhile, as the investigation into the cause of the radiation release continues, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Vice Chair Jessie Roberson toured the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site this week, DOE said. It remains unclear if the Board has further interest in the site or whether it has received specific complaints related to the February incidents at WIPP. “While on-site, she was briefed on the status of the ventilation system and pending upgrades, as well as various other on-going tasks,” according to a DOE statement. “Discussions were also held with employees involved in the February 5 truck fire. The purpose of the one-day visit was to get a better understanding of how WIPP is progressing through the recovery process and what additional tasks need to be completed.”
NWP Estimate Puts Recovery Cost at $250 Million
WIPP remains shut down indefinitely in the wake of the incidents, and so far few details have been released about the cost and time frame for the recovery and restart of operations at the plant. But in April, an initial estimate by NWP believed that it would be possible to restart limited operations in 2015 with full operations in 2016 at a total cost of $250 million, according to an internal NWP presentation on WIPP recovery obtained by WC Monitor. “If key assumptions are wrong there could be significant impacts to cost and schedule,” the presentation states. NWP officials have previously stated that the recovery could take 18 to 36 months. The Department has told Congressional appropriators that in Fiscal Year 2015 it will need approximately $100 million in additional funding for the WIPP recovery effort at the site, and additional funds for other impacted sites.
The final recovery plan for WIPP has not yet been finalized as analysis of the events and conditions in the WIPP underground continue. “WIPP is a vital asset that facilitates the cleanup of legacy waste from across the complex and the Department is committed to its safe and timely re-opening,” a DOE spokesperson said in a statement. “Since April, DOE and the contractor have continued to develop the recovery plan and have already taken steps to recover the facility and start incorporating corrective actions. DOE will continue to work the recovery effort with the site contractor.” NWP referred request for comment to the DOE statement.
