Nuclear Science:
Better Information Needed for Selection of New Production Reactor
RCED-89-206: Published: Sep 21, 1989. Publicly Released: Oct 30, 1989.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Energy's (DOE) process for selecting a new production reactor for nuclear weapons materials, focusing on the adequacy of its August 1988 report to Congress, in which it recommended an acquisition strategy for new production reactor capacity.
GAO found that DOE: (1) proposed to construct a heavy-water reactor at one nuclear weapons site and a modular high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor at one of its engineering laboratories, at a total estimated cost of $6.8 billion; (2) as a contingency, proposed to continue developing a light-water tritium target and acquire a 63-percent complete light-water reactor at the DOE Hanford site; (3) did not present a clear schedule for reactor completion or actual tritium production; (4) assumed that its current reactors could reliably produce tritium for at least 10 years, although it later stopped those reactors due to operational reliability problems; (5) estimated that its proposed strategy could realize new production capacity in 10 years, but did not estimate time needed for testing, production, or extraction; (6) considered a total of 18 options involving various reactor technologies, but did not clearly indicate whether any of the technologies could produce the required amount of tritium; (7) did not consider such contingencies as safety review, environmental challenges, and construction delays in schedule estimates; (8) provided unrealistic cost estimates for some of its various production reactor strategies; and (9) has two different programs which are developing similar modular high-temperature, gas-cooled reactors.
Sep 8, 2017
Modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise:
A Complete Scope of Work Is Needed to Develop Timely Cost and Schedule Information for the Uranium ProgramGAO-17-577: Published: Sep 8, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2017.
Sep 5, 2017
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Plutonium Disposition:
Proposed Dilute and Dispose Approach Highlights Need for More Work at the Waste Isolation Pilot PlantGAO-17-390: Published: Sep 5, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 5, 2017.
May 26, 2017
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Commercial Nuclear Waste:
Resuming Licensing of the Yucca Mountain Repository Would Require Rebuilding Capacity at DOE and NRC, Among Other Key StepsGAO-17-340: Published: Apr 26, 2017. Publicly Released: May 26, 2017.
May 25, 2017
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
Efforts Intended to Improve Procedures for Requesting Additional Information for Licensing Actions Are Under WayGAO-17-344: Published: Apr 25, 2017. Publicly Released: May 25, 2017.
May 24, 2017
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Department of Energy:
Continued Actions Needed to Address Management ChallengesGAO-17-651T: Published: May 24, 2017. Publicly Released: May 24, 2017.
May 17, 2017
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Offshore Oil and Gas Resources:
Information on Infrastructure Decommissioning and Federal Financial RiskGAO-17-642T: Published: May 17, 2017. Publicly Released: May 17, 2017.
May 3, 2017
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Nuclear Waste:
Opportunities Exist to Reduce Risks and Costs by Evaluating Different Waste Treatment Approaches at HanfordGAO-17-306: Published: May 3, 2017. Publicly Released: May 3, 2017.
May 1, 2017
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Department of Energy:
Use of Leading Practices Could Help Manage the Risk of Fraud and Other Improper PaymentsGAO-17-235: Published: Mar 30, 2017. Publicly Released: May 1, 2017.
Apr 26, 2017
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National Nuclear Security Administration:
Action Needed to Address Affordability of Nuclear Modernization ProgramsGAO-17-341: Published: Apr 26, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 26, 2017.
Apr 11, 2017
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Nuclear Security:
DOE Could Improve Aspects of Nuclear Security ReportingGAO-17-239: Published: Apr 11, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 11, 2017.
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