Much of the Savannah River Nuclear Solutions workforce will face weeks of unpaid leave in the coming months as the company deals with a budget shortfall of as much as $175 million for the coming year.
Plant closures are under consideration for three weeks that coincide with holidays, the Augusta Chronicle reported Wednesday. Only an undetermined number of workers deemed essential personnel would report to work, while the rest would be required to use vacation days or unpaid time off.
The plans were disclosed in a report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which advises the secretary of energy. It also warned that SRNS will reduce staff augmentation support and construction forces among its 4,500 personnel, in addition to extending efforts to enroll workers in voluntary separation programs.
Faced with completed projects and dwindling federal resources, SRNS has been thinning its ranks since the DOE authorized the company in late 2010 to cut as many as 1,400 positions.