Fixing the damaged reinforced-concrete containment building at the long-idled Crystal River-3 nuclear unit in Florida will cost more than the $1.3 billion estimated by Progress Energy Florida and take longer than the utility's original 24- to 30-month estimate. Under a "worst-case scenario," repair costs could skyrocket to more than $3.4 billion and the schedule could balloon to eight years, a consultant to PEF's corporate parent said on Sept. 30.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Zapata Inc., hired by Duke Energy in March to analyze a proposal to rebuild CR-3's containment building walls, said in a regulatory report filed on Oct. 1 that the repair plan selected by PEF for further study is "feasible, but there are risks associated with the technical approach, construction methodology, scheduling and licensing."