Startup of the Sodium-Bearing Waste Treatment Facility at the Department of Energy’s Idaho site has been pushed back yet again, potentially putting DOE at risk of failing to meet a commitment to the state of Idaho to have the remaining liquid waste at the site treated by the end of the year. DOE and Idaho cleanup contractor CH2M-WG Idaho had previously planned to have the facility begin operation in the late January-to-late February time frame. Now, though, the scheduled start of operations is unclear, with CWI not expected to conduct an operational readiness review for the plant as part of preparations for startup until February and DOE set to conduct a similar review in March.
While WC Monitor has learned of fabrication issues and other problems that have emerged in recent weeks, DOE and CWI say the delay in start of operations has been caused by the additional time needed to train plant operators. “We remain focused on the safe startup and operations of the sodium bearing waste facility to support the Settlement Agreement milestone. In performing a management self assessment, CWI identified additional time requirements for the operators to perform plant system drills to better prepare for the upcoming operational readiness reviews, and DOE concurred with that assessment. The contractor continues to take the necessary steps to ensure the systems function according to the design requirements,” Brad Bugger, a spokesman for the DOE Idaho Operations Office, said in a written response.