COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A Georgia contractor has agreed to pay the federal government $4.6 million for false claims related to defective materials used to build a nuclear fuel plant in South Carolina.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday the agreement with Energy & Process Corporation resolves a whistleblower lawsuit.
The government says the Tucker, Georgia, company knowingly supplied defective rebar for a project at the Savannah River Site where weapons-grade plutonium will be turned into nuclear reactor fuel
Federal authorities say the company provided defective rebar for the project and lied about doing quality assurance. The government says Energy & Process replaced the defective materials.
The unfinished mixed-oxide fuel facility is over budget and behind schedule. Energy Department officials have blamed issues on design and construction mistakes and escalating supply costs.