We also found that DOE has a good sense of the supply & demand for civilian uses of LEU, like power and research reactors. But demand estimates for high-assay LEU (HALEU) vary, and current supply may not meet near-term demands (less good!)

DOE assesses demand for isotopes on a case-by-case basis but hasn’t systematically assessed needs or aligned production to the needs. Many isotopes are rare or too expensive for private industry to produce profitably, and there are risks to depending on foreign supply.

Even as demand is growing for isotopes for medical uses, national security, manufacturing, and quantum science, dozens of these isotopes are in short supply—and the Department of Energy (DOE) is the sole domestic supplier for many of them. #nukesky www.gao.gov/products/gao...

The Advanced Test Reactor in Idaho, around since 1967, is the only reactor that can meet testing requirements for nuclear submarine fuel. DOE identified options to maintain, upgrade, or replace it, but will need to do something about spent fuel storage. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Within NNSA’s portfolio of major projects ($100M+) with approved performance baselines, cumulative cost overruns have increased to $4.8 billion and schedule overruns to 30 years from what we reported in 2023 ($2.1 billion and 9 years). www.gao.gov/products/gao...

NNSA saw costs grow >25% on 7 out of 14 construction projects, but didn’t notify Congress about 5 of them for months, let alone within the 30 days required by law. Nor did NNSA assess the root causes of cost overruns for those 5 within 90 days or inform Congress, as required. #nukesky

NNSA spends a lot of money on nuclear weapons & infrastructure. NNSA has requirements (similar to those of the Nunn-McCurdy Act) to formally notify Congress about cost overruns and assess the reasons for the overruns, but it hasn’t consistently done so. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Los Alamos looks forward to additional park-and-ride shuttle routes to the lab. NNSA has some concerns about potential challenges with having sufficient federal staff to oversee the program and assess whether it’s providing the intended benefits.

Commuting can be a slog. One way NNSA can address recruitment & retention challenges at its labs is by making it easier to get to work, including by offering park-and-ride shuttles and public transit subsidies. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Until the UPF is ready, NNSA will have to keep using an 80-year old facility that could cost up to a half billion dollars to maintain in the meantime. We recommended that NNSA develop a comprehensive plan for this maintenance.

In 2004 NNSA began planning the Uranium Processing Facility to replace Manhattan Project-era facilities at Y-12 in TN. Fast forward 21 years: UPF’s est. cost is up to nearly $10 billion and it’ll cost NNSA to keep using old facilities until UPF is complete. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

You wouldn’t think the cost of a fixed-price construction contract could increase—but hundreds of NNSA’s run over, to the tune of $37.5 million just in FY23. NNSA’s construction budget is always tight so unexpected increases mean delays for other projects. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky

Fusion is essential for powering the USS Enterprise—and, here on earth, for maintaining and modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile without explosive nuclear testing. NNSA operates 3 fusion facilities for these purposes. www.gao.gov/products/gao... #nukesky

Or if you prefer…fission chips…as your main meal, check out our weapons Quick Look. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Cesium is so old school. There are much more cutting-edge ways to irradiate your shrimp. www.gao.gov/products/gao...

The FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act required NNSA to implement common financial reporting. As of this report—our fifth on NNSA’s financial integration efforts—DOE & NNSA have made progress on 11 of 19 recommendations for implementing common financial reporting.

You’re busy people, #nukesky. We get that. To keep you up to date on all NNSA’s ongoing weapons work, we present our first “nuclear weapons quick look”—2-page overviews of all 6 of NNSA’s ongoing weapons modernization programs (and one that’s planned). www.gao.gov/products/gao...

Hmmmnnn…..

We found that DOE was mostly implementing a range of acquisition planning practices we reviewed but could do more, particularly in the area of lessons learned. We recommend that DOE revise its lessons-learned process for acquisition planning.