The Department of Energy needs to perform more analysis before moving forward with any proposal for the early start-up of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant’s Low Activity Waste Facility, according to a
report by DOE’s Inspector General released yesterday. The IG Office examined what DOE has dubbed the “2020 Vision” for the Hanford vit plant, which would entail a phased commissioning approach for the plant’s various facilities rather than the current baseline approach of commissioning them all at the same time. Under the proposal, first outlined in early 2011, the LAW Facility could begin glass production years ahead of the start-up of the WTP’s other main facilities, namely the Pretreatment and High-Level Waste facilities. While the proposal originally envisioned the LAW Facility beginning operation in 2016, “in light of recent technical developments,” DOE is now considering a 2019 start-up for that portion of the WTP, according to the report.
According to the IG, however, DOE does not yet have “all of the data necessary to make a fully informed decision on the 2020 Vision.” The report states, “We were concerned that the Office of River Protection (ORP) … had not developed a detailed analysis of costs, benefits and risks for the proposal, even though such actions had been recommended by two independent review teams. Without analyses of these factors, the Department might choose a course of action that could inadvertently have a negative impact on the RPP mission—a critical component of the Department’s overall environmental remediation strategy.” The IG found that there are “significant cost, technology and permitting hurdles” that would have to be addressed if the 2020 Vision proposal is to be implemented. “On the other hand,” the IG said, “the 2020 Vision proposal has the potential for expediting the entire WTP strategy, which is a critical element in the Department’s plan to treat the huge quantities of radioactive, hazardous and mixed waste stored at the Hanford Site.”
As a result of the need for additional time to resolve lingering technical issues at the WTP, the Department is not currently examining the 2020 Vision proposal, though the idea of an early startup for the LAW Facility prior to full commissioning of the plant is still under consideration, according to the report. “However, the Department plans to complete a detailed business case analysis prior to the decision to direct feed the LAW facility. In addition, the Department has begun and will continue engagement of stakeholders up to and through the decision to direct feed the LAW facility,” the IG said. The DOE Office of River Protection did not return calls for comment on the report yesterday.
