Fear is rising that the cost of demolishing the K-25 building could hit $1 billion.
At the end of last year, demolition work began to dismantle the K-25 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park Heritage Center (ETTP), the first facility ever built to enrich uranium using the gaseous diffusion process and, in its day, the world’s largest building under one roof.
Ten months later, and rumours are rife that demolition costs are spiraling out of control. Indeed, we have heard from one unnamed source that costs could top $1 billion before work is over.
It appears the presence of technetium-99, a devilish radioactive element, may be more widespread than previously thought in processing equipment at the K-25 uranium-enrichment plant. If so, that could complicate plans for taking down the east wing of the massive, U-shaped building and potentially delay the project’s schedule and jack up costs that are already thought to be in the region of $800 million.
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