Commenting on Proposed Modifications to the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Contract

GAO was requested to review a proposed modified contract among the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and private firms for revised design, construction, and operation of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor. Under the new arrangement, ERDA would assume overall management responsibility from the corporation because of a dramatic increase in the Government's financial commitment to the project, up to about 87 percent of the total. GAO's review concentrated on the soundness of the revised contract as a means of completing the project.