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SCP-399 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-399
Expected annual
$2.8M
One-time setup
$26.9M
Annual recurring
$2.6M
Personnel
10
One-time setup is dominated by remote test-site acquisition/construction, dedicated generators, instrumentation, robotics, and a contingency reserve (total ~$26.9M); annual operations are driven by staff salaries, research programs, security, and contingency/insurance (~$2.65M/yr).
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $26.9M
Optional Portable Energy R And D $20.0M
[#28] Strategic/optional R&D for dedicated portable high-volume energy source; included as explicit one-time strategic cost (conservative lower-end of the $10M–$100M+ range) because the file references this capability.
Contingency Reserve $2.5M
[#22] One-time contingency reserve for catastrophic failures/remediation; conservative mid-size reserve selected from $1M–$10M guidance.
Facilities $2.3M
[#1, #7, #13] Vault/safe buildout and biometric/tamper monitoring (~$82,500 midpoint of $15k–$150k), remote test-site land purchase + site construction/fencing/test bunker (~$2,170,000 midpoint of $640k–$3.7M), and environmental control installation (HVAC/humidification) (~$90,000 midpoint of $30k–$150k). Assumes moderate-spec remote bunker rather than lowest-cost option.
Equipment $2.0M
[#9, #11, #12, #14, #15, #16, #18, #19] Dedicated generators and installation (~$900,000), power control/isolation & rapid shutdown systems (~$150,000), energy monitoring hardware and sensors (~$125,000), emergency medical equipment stocking (~$50,000), robotic surrogate development (moderate-capability choice) (~$500,000), initial PPE/quick-release kits (~$15,000), armored case & vehicle retrofit (~$125,000), secure IT/hardware (~$150,000). Values are mid-range selections from provided ranges.
Psych Evaluations Initial $22K
[#5] Initial psychological screening of ~10 personnel at $1,500–$3,000 each; midpoint used for one-time startup.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $0
[]
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $2.6M/yr
Staff Wages $990K/yr
[#3, #4, #10] Security guards (6 guards, total ~$330,000/yr), research staff (2 Level-4 + 1 Level-5 supervisor, total ~$600,000/yr), and 1 generator/operator technician (~$60,000/yr). Mid-range salary selections used as per analyst guidance.
Research And Monitoring $548K/yr
[#12, #23, #24, #25, #26] Recurring calibration/data storage for energy monitoring (~$12,500/yr), external consultant contracts (~$60,000/yr), training and emergency drills (~$25,000/yr), long-term experimental research budget (~$400,000/yr; moderate pursuit level), and monitoring contracts with utilities (~$50,000/yr). Values chosen from midpoints of provided ranges.
Cover Story And Legal $425K/yr
[#20, #27] Ongoing cover/PR, utility compensation and legal counsel (~$125,000/yr midpoint of $50k–$200k) plus insurance/settlement set-aside and premiums (~$300,000/yr; conservative lower-mid selection of $100k–$2M).
Medical Readiness On Call $250K/yr
[#14] Ongoing overhead for trauma/ICU on-call readiness or equivalent contractual coverage (~$150k–$400k/yr); moderate choice used given test risk profile.
Perimeter Security And Easements $125K/yr
[#8] Enforcement of exclusion zones, legal easements and community mitigation (~$50k–$300k/yr); conservative-middle selection.
Logistics And Transport $100K/yr
[#18] Per-move operational transport costs (escorts, trip overhead). Assumes modest cadence of secure transfers (representative annual budget ~$100k). Vehicle/case retrofit treated as one-time equipment cost.
Hazardous Waste Handling $60K/yr
[#21] Baseline hazardous waste handling, decontamination and disposal (~$60,000/yr; midpoint of $20k–$100k). Per-incident remediation is separate risk in scenario modeling.
Generator Fuel And Maintenance $60K/yr
[#10] Ongoing fuel and generator maintenance costs (~$20k–$150k/yr); midpoint used. Operator wage included in staff_wages.
Supplies And Consumables $42K/yr
[#17, #16] Research consumables, bench supplies and single-use disposables (~$40,000/yr midpoint of $10k–$75k) plus PPE replacement/consumables (~$2,000–$10,000/yr; small midpoint)
Data Security Ops $30K/yr
[#19] Ongoing secure IT operations, redaction, air-gapped storage maintenance (~$10k–$50k/yr); midpoint selected.
Facilities Maintenance $12K/yr
[#2] Vault/safe maintenance, locksmith/IT sensor calibration and routine structural upkeep (~$5k–$20k/yr); midpoint selected.
Psych Clearance And Health Monitoring $8K/yr
[#6] Annual psychological rechecks and health monitoring for authorized handlers (~$5k–$10k/yr); midpoint used.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $2.6M/yr
86.5% probability / year
Normal uneventful operational year with routine testing cadence and no major incidents.
no_incident planned_testing standard_staffing
🚨 Minor Incident $2.9M/yr
10.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Localized power-draw event or small public exposure requiring community compensation, equipment repairs and elevated PR/legal response.
localized_power_outage minor_public_impact
🚨 Major Breach $4.7M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$2.0M vs baseline
Significant containment/energy event causing equipment loss, medical casualties, major remediation and multi-week operational disruption.
generator_overload facility_damage medical_casualties
🚨 Catastrophic Breach $17.6M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$15.0M vs baseline
Large-scale energetic event (e.g., coupling to external high-capacity source) requiring mass evacuation, long-term remediation and substantial legal settlements.
external_grid_coupling mass_remediation major_radiological_or_structural_damage
🚨 Research Escalation $7.7M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$5.0M vs baseline
Deliberate decision to scale experimental program aggressively (e.g., pursue portable high-volume energy prototypes or large-scale tests).
scale_up_research experimental_RandD_budget_increase
👥 Personnel 10 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#3] Continuous 24/7 coverage: 2guards per shift, 3 shifts = 6 total guards; wages and benefits included in staff_wages.
Research Scientist (Level-4) 2 [#4] Two dedicated Level-4 scientists assigned to SCP-399 testing; salaries included in staff_wages.
Site Director / Executive Staff (Level-5) 1 [#4] Single Level-5 supervisor required to approve testing; salary included in staff_wages.
Generator Operator / Engineer 1 [#10] Dedicated operator/technician for on-site generators; wage included in staff_wages.
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates use midpoints of wide ranges provided in analyst notes; many costs (contingency, optional R&D, incident remediation) have high tail risk, so totals are reasonable first-order estimates but retain substantial uncertainty.
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