MOX's Dueling Dollars
U.S. Energ
 y Secretary Ernest Moniz told us it will take more than $1 billion a year to complete Savannah River Site's mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility and fund other related processes required for that method of plutonium disposal during his June visit to SRS. Moniz said, "When it comes to the total funding, not just for the fabrication plant but for all the other activities, for the (plutonium) pit disassembly and everything else, you're talking north of a billion dollars a year," "We've got to see Congress being willing to appropriate over a billion dollars a year for decades to get it done."
A
report ordered by Congress and released in May by the Aerospace Corp., a federally funded research and development center in California, determined the project could cost $47 billion to complete, nearly ten times the previous estimate of the MOX contractors, CBI-AREVA MOX Services.
The Aerospace report's accuracy has been questioned. This month a new separate and independent costing report is out. It was prepared by High Bridge Associates and funded by the MOX contractors. The
High Bridge report called the Aerospace report "flawed" and pointed out that MOX costs appear to be "significantly overstated" and inconsistent while downblending plutonium cost estimates are "significantly understated."
High Bridge Cost Comparison
Option 1 MOX Fuel and Option 4 Downblend Alternatives
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Cost Element
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Option 1 - MOX
($B FY14)
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Option 4 - Downblend
($B FY14)
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Unescalated Base Cost (with Contingency)
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24.3
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13.0
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Aerospace Evaluation of Risks/Contingency
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7.4
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2.3
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High Bridge Evaluation of Risks/Contingency
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3.7
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9.3
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Aerospace and High Bridge Differences
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-3.7
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7.0
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Evaluated Cost Reflecting Differences
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20.6
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20.00
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As the old joke says "there has to be pony" (in this case - the truth) in there somewhere. As the fight over the "real" number continues, many unanswered questions remain. Some of these include the following:
1. What are the impacts to Russian agreement if an alternative is chosen?
2. How long will Pu reside in SC and what does DOE plan to do about statutory removal date?
3. What does DOE have planned for the MOX facility if an alternative is chosen?
4. What does DOE have planned for the MOX workforce?
This month DOE also ordered a high-level review of the MOX facility, called a "Red Team". The director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Thom Mason, will lead the red team assessment and report back to the Secretary of Energy by the end of August. The red team members will be evaluating whether the MOX disposition pathway, which requires construction of the new facility and other things, is the optimal way to meet U.S. obligations and commitments. Hopefully they will also address some of these unanswered questions, more on MOX to follow in the coming months.
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Nuclear Summer School
Teachers from Georgia and South Carolina have been attending class locally this summer to learn about nuclear education and career opportunities.
Middle and high school teachers and counselors attended the first 3-day Southeastern Summer Nuclear Institute (SSNI) on July 15-17. The Institute was organized by the
Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (CNTA) along with sponsoring partners including the SRSCRO. Dr. Sandra Jordan, University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) Chancellor, welcomed the group at a dinner hosted by USCA. Attendees came from across Georgia and South Carolina. During the opening dinner, Dr. Susan Winsor, Aiken Technical College President, provided a special presentation about local nuclear workforce needs and education opportunities.
SSNI attendees participated in a tour of Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle nuclear power station with visits to the control room, simulator exercises, and meetings with nuclear power reactor personnel. Educators also toured the Savannah River Site (SRS) and spoke with leaders of the Savannah River National Laboratory. Classroom workshops held at the University of South Carolina (USC) Aiken emphasized atomic and nuclear fundamentals, power generation fundamentals, nuclear technology applications, risk (real vs. perceived), and nuclear workforce opportunities through hands-on activities suitable for classroom use.
Another group of thirty K-12 teachers from across the SRSCRO region attended the annual TREAT (Teaching Radiation, Energy and Technology) workshop hosted by the SRS Department of Energy and held at USCA during July 8-10. Educators learned about the nuclear workforce demand and local education and training options that lead to well-paying nuclear careers. Participants learned the basics of radiation from SRS experts and a professor from Savannah State University. Professionals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) talked with educators about the many types of monitoring regularly conducted at SRS.
Go
here for more information about teacher resources and local nuclear education opportunities.
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Power of PLUTOnium
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft just accomplished one of the most exciting feats in the history of space exploration. After a 9 1/2-year, 3-billion-mile journey, the mission's historic flyby of Pluto has provided us with our first-ever close-up views of the frozen world at the edge of the solar system. It's a remarkable achievement, one that wouldn't have been possible without the spacecraft's three batteries filled with plutonium-238.
To turn plutonium-238 into usable power, the plutonium puck is wrapped with thermoelectrics that convert  heat to electricity. The characteristics of this metal's radioactive decay make it a super-fuel. More importantly, there is no other viable option. Solar power is too weak, chemical batteries do not last; nuclear fission systems are too heavy. So, we depend on plutonium-238 as its power supply.
The plutonium-238 itself came from the Savannah River Site (SRS), which produced nuclear fuel for NASA's space missions for nearly three decades. In 1995, SRS completed a five-year campaign to supply Pu-238 for NASA's Cassini mission. The unmanned expedition to the planet Saturn was launched October 13, 1997, and arrived at the ringed planet July 1, 2004, after a flawless flight.
Long term, deep-space missions, such as New Horizons, Galileo, Ulysses, and Cassini, used locally generated Pu-238 (aka SRS) to provide long-term electrical power needed to operate the instruments on board the spacecraft, to include operating cameras, collecting data, and relaying information to the earth.
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Spotlight
SRSCRO
Partners
Michael Butler is a consummate public relations professional with experience in all phases of the business -- including career positions with government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and public relations firms he has owned. He is also an entrepreneur, having started three businesses, one of which was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing businesses in the United States. Another was recognized in 2008 by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of America's top 500 franchises and by Inc. magazine as one of the 5000 fastest growing privately held companies. Mike has specialized in public relations, public information and community relations related to the growth of commercial nuclear power plants in the United States and issues related to America's quest for Energy Independence. He has been a key nuclear spokesman for the U. S. Department of Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous Fortune 500 companies involved in the nuclear power industry.
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Summer Fun Facts
You'll hear the term "dog days of summer" very often, but the real "dog days" refers to the weeks between July 3 and August 11. They are named after the Dog Star, Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major.
The frequency of a cricket's chirps fluctuates with the temperature, so if you count a cricket's chirps for 15 seconds and add 37, you will have the approximate outdoor temperature (in Fahrenheit).
France's Eiffel Tower grows by more than six inches in summer due to the expansion of the iron on hot days.
The higher summer temperatures make July the most popular month for ice cream. In July, Americans celebrate National Ice Cream Month. U.S. citizens consume about 5.5 gallons per year (on average.)
According to custom in the United States, a person can wear white pants only during the summer, between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays.
Popsicles, a popular summer treat, were accidentally invented by an 11-year-old boy in San Francisco in 1905. He left a glass of soda sitting outside and by the next morning the soda had frozen. In the U.S., cherry is the number 1 flavor.
The longest summer bikini parade on record happened on August 19, 2012, in China with 1,085 participants.
Studies show that men are more likely to cheat during the summer months.
Watermelon is the summer's favorite vegetable. Yes, vegetable and not fruit. It is part of the cucumber, pumpkin, and squash family. Fruit or veggie, this juicy favorite is 92 percent water, and the average American eats 15 pounds of watermelon a year.
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