Like any industrial project, the performance schedule of a decommissioning project may change if the primary drivers so dictate. The guiding principle in our decommissioning program is to carry out the projects with utmost safety of plant personnel, protection of the surrounding community and the environment by a tight control on confining contamination, minimum radiation dose to the workers, and prevention of release of gaseous or particulate radioactivity to the environment. While the company seeks to complete a project in the shortest schedule, the schedule is subject to amendment if the above guiding principles so dictate. Safety will never be compromised for schedule considerations.
Another factor is the financial performance of the DTF which is inextricably tied to the financial markets. A sharp and sustained slump in the market certainly has the potential to disrupt the pace of the decommissioning work. To ensure this potential is avoided, the funds are managed in such a way as to ensure that short term expenditures are invested in bonds and other more stable financial instruments, to limit any impact from a downturn in the market.