Nuclear Science

Monitoring Improved, but More Planning Needed for DOE Test and Research Reactors Gao ID: RCED-92-123 July 15, 1992

As its stock of nondefense nuclear reactors dwindles due to lower demand and higher operating costs, the Department of Energy (DOE) must decide which reactors to shut down and which to maintain or replace. In DOE's view, the small number of remaining reactors and their specialized functions makes unnecessary formal long-range planning that would compare the capabilities, ages, and conditions of the reactors. Yet GAO believes that, given the ages of the test and research reactors and the deterioration taking place, it is not premature to plan for the timely retirement or replacement of these reactors. The absence of such planning could lead to safety problems, diminished reactor performance, increased costs to maintain existing safety levels, and gaps in service to experimenters using the equipment. Safety, or at least the identification of safety problems, has improved at DOE's nondefense test and research facilities. DOE now has an inventory of identified problems at these facilities that will take years to correct. Ensuring safer operations, however, demands continued identification and correction of problems.

GAO found that: (1) DOE has no plans for the retirement or replacement of its aging nondefense research and test reactors; (2) diminishing demand and increasing operating costs force DOE to decide which research and test reactors to maintain or replace; (3) considering the relatively small number of reactors and specialized reactor functions, formal long-range retirement or replacement plans are unnecessary; (4) deterioration of reactors causes safety problems, reduces reactor performance, increases operating safety costs and causes gaps in service to researchers; and (5) DOE safety oversight of nondefense reactors is improving, but continued problems exist.

Recommendations

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