MOX plant at Savannah River Site will cost $12 billion more than initially thought

[TexasTowelie]

AIKEN, SC -- From an upper floor in the federal government’s hulking nuclear fuel plant, construction managers pointed at a section of concrete wall they said was installed incorrectly.

The wall had to be redone so key electrical work could be constructed inside the partially finished building. A few floors down, federal officials nodded at sloping pipes that didn’t meet specifications and unused equipment that had been ordered but never needed.

Those shortcomings are among a multitude of problems that today show how hard it has been to build a mixed oxide fuel factory at the Savannah River Site, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The fuel factory, known commonly as the MOX plant, is $12 billion over budget and potentially decades away from completion, according to the latest estimates, released Thursday by DOE officials. Workers began building the plant in 2007.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article100635952.html

[riversedge]

1. It seems to be an Obama Adm vs Lindsey Graham-Repub controversy--with Russia also........

whow--what a mess!!

.....“The administration’s position .... is that we should move to this alternate method of disposal, which is much, much cheaper,’’ MacWilliams said, noting that the blending process “will result in getting plutonium out of your state decades sooner, and which has really no significant technical risk, unlike the MOX facility.’’

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham , a MOX booster, said the alternate plan has not been fully screened and it remains unclear whether all of the plutonium to be neutralized would be suitable for disposal in New Mexico. The South Carolina Republican noted that Russian president Vladimir Putin has voiced concern about not building the plant.

“DOE’s short-sighted efforts to kill MOX have allowed Russian President Putin – who is no friend of the United States and our foreign policy objectives – to claim the high ground,’’ Graham’s office said. “It’s a shame the Obama Administration’s recent words and actions on MOX have unnecessarily harmed our nation’s long-time leadership role when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation.’’.....................

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article100635952.html#storylink=cpy