Skip to main content

Nuclear Material: DOE Needs to Take Action to Reduce Risks Before Processing Additional Nuclear Material at the Savannah River Site's H-Canyon

GAO-08-840 Published: Jul 25, 2008. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 2008.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

During the Cold War, the Department of Energy (DOE) produced nuclear materials for nuclear weapons at its Savannah River Site (SRS) by dissolving highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from reactors in a facility known as H-Canyon. DOE planned to end H-Canyon operations in 2007 but now plans to continue H-Canyon operations until 2019 to process additional nuclear material. GAO was asked to (1) identify the types of nuclear materials DOE will process using H-Canyon and its associated costs of operation, (2) determine whether SRS's radioactive waste storage tanks and associated nuclear waste facilities are capable of handling the additional waste generated by H-Canyon, and (3) describe H-Canyon's compliance with safety and environmental requirements. To conduct its work, GAO reviewed DOE's plans to process nuclear material using H-Canyon and visited SRS to observe the canyon and associated radioactive waste treatment facilities.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Energy To ensure that DOE is effectively able to use H-Canyon's capabilities to process and dispose of nuclear material, the Secretary of Energy should ensure that the efforts of the National Nuclear Security Administration and other offices within DOE to identify additional HEU, plutonium, and other nuclear materials that may be suitable for processing using H-Canyon are coordinated in order to make sure that these materials are included in SRS's processing plans and that any additional material added does not unduly delay H-Canyon's planned 2019 shutdown.
Closed – Implemented
DOE has taken actions to address this recommendation. Specifically, DOE is now working closely with NNSA's Office of Nuclear Material Integration to ensure that future decisions to process additional materials at H-Canyon are coordinated to minimize the impact to the canyon's planned shutdown.
Department of Energy To ensure that DOE is effectively able to use H-Canyon's capabilities to process and dispose of nuclear material, the Secretary of Energy should develop a comprehensive cost estimate for continuing to operate H-Canyon that includes all waste treatment costs and contingency costs for any additional nuclear materials that will be included in the processing plans.
Closed – Implemented
DOE written comments to the report stated that it would formally document the H-Canyon cost estimate that includes the resultant impact of planned H-Canyon operations to the Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste system. In August 2008, DOE produced a new cost estimate for continuing to operate H-Canyon that includes all waste treatment costs for nuclear materials that will be included in the processing plans.
Department of Energy To ensure that DOE is effectively able to use H-Canyon's capabilities to process and dispose of nuclear material, the Secretary of Energy should direct SRS to develop a plan to ensure that sufficient technical staff are available to complete the required safety analyses in a timely manner so that H-Canyon operations can proceed on schedule.
Closed – Implemented
DOE has directed the contractor operating the Savannah River Site (SRS) to complete the required safety analyses on time to support scheduled H-Canyon operations and the department has monitored the contractor's progress.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Cost analysisHazardous waste disposalHazardous waste sitesHazardous wastesNuclear facilitiesNuclear materialsNuclear waste disposalNuclear waste managementNuclear waste storageNuclear weaponsNuclear weapons plantsPlutoniumProgram evaluationProgram managementRadioactive waste disposalRadioactive wastesSchedule slippagesStrategic planningTanks (containers)UraniumWarehouse facilitiesWaste disposalWaste managementWaste treatmentEnvironmental monitoringEnvironmental protectionCost estimatesProgram costs