Construction of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee remains on track, with certain design and schedule benchmarks set for this fall, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed Wednesday.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) highlighted Wednesday at a Senate Appropriations energy and water subcommittee hearing on the NNSA budget his ongoing concerns over potential cost overruns in the process of constructing UPF, the set of buildings at Y-12 that will house enriched uranium processing operations in support of the nuclear deterrent. This work is currently conducted in aging facilities at the site.
Asked for an update on the project, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz confirmed the project is still set for completion by 2025 at a cost of no more than $6.5 billion. Moreover, the design of nuclear facilities that are part of the project is expected to be 90 percent completed by early fall, Klotz said.
Cost and schedule overruns are enduring concerns for the federal government, particularly for multiyear infrastructure projects and expensive weapon system acquisitions. The Uranium Processing Facility encountered years of delay and ballooning cost estimates, leading the NNSA to commission a “Red Team” review that settled on the latest targets.
So far, the NNSA has remained on course to meet those targets.
Klotz said a set of internal approval processes will follow the 90 percent design milestone, at which point construction may officially begin. He anticipates that to happen in spring 2018.
