The federal agency overseeing the $7.7-billion Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in Aiken, S.C., violated a "basic principle" when it approved the plutonium disposal facility for construction despite its "immature" design, according to a U.S. Dept. of Energy audit.
Although a "number of factors" eventually contributed to a nearly $3-billion increase from the project's initial $4.8-billion price tag, the DOE report indicates that the National Nuclear Security Administration's initial 2007 estimate was flawed from the outset—and that NNSA officials had concerns about cost escalations at the time.