New Project to Decommission SEFOR Reactor Supported in House Bill

A new pilot project to decommission the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor in Arkansas would be launched in Fiscal Year 2016 under the House Appropriations Committee’s version of the FY 2016 spending bill, according to report language released yesterday. The bill would provide $9.5 million to DOE to address the aging and inactive experimental reactor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. “The Department recently conducted an assessment of the hazards and costs of decontaminating the site that indicates costs could reach as much as $80,400,000 depending on the extent of cleanup performed,” according to the House Committee report. “The report further indicated that there is considerable uncertainty regarding the desired end state for the site and the Department is not a party to the resolution of such matters. Nevertheless, the costs and hazards associated with maintaining this vintage reactor site will continue to grow.”

 

The House report directs DOE to “utilize innovative contracting strategies to demolish, dismantle, and dispose of contaminated above-grade structures for the purposes of minimizing annual site maintenance requirements until such time as the regulatory end state for the site is fully resolved by the responsible local stakeholders.”