EPRI’s Waste Logic–Solid Waste Manager Can Help

The Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing (STARS) alliance includes six pressurized water reactor (PWR) stations, all located west of the Mississippi River: Callaway, Comanche Peak, Diablo Canyon, Palo Verde, South Texas Project (STP), and Wolf Creek (Palo Verde joined in 2002). In 2000, a STARS radwaste team was formed to pursue cost reductions. The team was challenged to obtain a 10 percent savings in radwaste costs. That year, radwaste team members from the original five STARS plants met to discuss joint contracting of radwaste services. They decided to pursue savings in offsite waste processing services first, because this would be quick to implement and would have the least impact on plant practices. They also decided to team with USA plants (another plant alliance) to increase the size of the pool and to better leverage purchasing power. The STARS team issued an offsite waste processing bid and received several proposals. The bid review resulted in awarding a contract to a waste processor for Class A dry active waste (DAW) processing and for clearance survey services with quantity discounts based on the total mass shipped to that processor. The STARS team members reported back to management that because DAW processing costs were only about 25 percent of the total radwaste contract costs, they should expect only a proportionate savings. For example, the Diablo Canyon radwaste savings goal from STARS was pegged at $100 000, which is 10 percent of the typical annual contract cost of $1 million. Because DAW accounts for only 25 percent of total radwaste service costs, the savings goal from the joint contract for Diablo Canyon was set at $25 000. The USA and STARS alliance held together over the term of the contract, and quantity discounts were awarded. Although the savings goal appeared very challenging, Diablo Canyon actually achieved savings of $24 000 in 2000, all Volume reduction of radwaste already generated can save some waste disposal costs, but large savings come about only with waste minimization and segregation efforts. Looking to the STARS to Reduce Class B/C Waste