SCP-5516 Unknown ~ medium confidence
SCP-5516
Expected annual
$1.7M
One-time setup
$2.4M
Annual recurring
$1.7M
Personnel
13
One-time setup is dominated by physical containment, life-support, and an escalation reserve (~$2.35M). Annual recurring costs are driven by staff wages, administrative overhead, research/monitoring, and contingency (~$1.70M/yr).
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $2.4M
High Containment Upgrade Reserve $1.0M
[#25] Long-term escalation / high-containment upgrade contingency reserve to cover major physical redesign or relocation if required.
Equipment $604K
[#2, #3, #5, #7, #12, #15, #19, #21] Viewing/inspection panels, life-support hardware (filtration/pumps/chillers), water-quality monitoring setup, backup generator/UPS installation, initial sedation equipment, CCTV/machine-vision hardware, initial secure servers, and transport vehicle purchase allocated to equipment.
Facilities $525K
[#1] Dedicated tank construction, reinforced concrete/plinth, waterproofing, service galleries and lid mounts; primary structural work estimate.
Initial Containment Reserve Fund $100K
[#20] One-time containment-breach contingency fund reserve for rapid-response equipment and temporary holding.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $50K
[#14] Behavioral testing apparatus and data acquisition systems (puzzle devices, RFID, force sensors, automated feeders) and initial lab setup.
Transport Vehicles Purchase $40K
[#21] Secure climate-controlled transport crates/vans purchase/setup (allocated under equipment but listed separately for audit).
Capture And Quarantine $35K
[#13] Initial capture, transfer crates, quarantine tank space and initial acclimation/capture operations.
Secure Records Initial $30K
[#19] Secure servers and encrypted infrastructure initial purchase (auditable item included in equipment total as well).
Front Company Setup And Legal Retainer $25K
[#18] Initial setup for front company/legal retainer and formation costs for cover story/compliance.
Seawater Hookup And Mixing $15K
[#4] Initial seawater hookup/pumping setup chosen (Site-184 uses localized seawater per containment guidance); synthetic-mix option acknowledged but not capitalized here.
Wastewater Upgrade Reserve $0
[#17] Potential one-time upgrades to wastewater / seawater decontamination (set to 0 here; Site-184 currently passes inspections).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.7M/yr
Staff Wages $815K/yr
[#8, #9, #10] Salaries for 2 FTE aquarists + 1 diver/maintenance tech, 6 guards + 1 supervisor, 2 researchers + 1 lab tech (base wages only).
Miscellaneous Contingency $222K/yr
[#27] Miscellaneous contingency reserve (15% of direct annual operating budget) to cover unforeseen items, supply delays, specialty parts and overtime.
Cover Story And Legal $150K/yr
[#18, #26] Recurring legal, PR, compliance, front organization operations, and retained counsel to handle inquiries/FOI and maintain plausible cover.
Administrative Overhead $150K/yr
[#24] Site-184 share of general overhead (utilities beyond enclosure, HR, payroll processing, shared infrastructure allocation).
Supplies And Consumables $54K/yr
[#11, #16] Feed and enrichment (daily feed, frozen/fresh/fomulated food) plus routine consumables (filter media, UV lamps, seals, cleaning chemicals).
Research And Monitoring $51K/yr
[#5, #14, #15, #23] Sensors recalibration/spares, software licensing/analysis, CCTV storage/analysis, and environmental/local-ecology monitoring costs for research and behavioral monitoring.
Wastewater Treatment $48K/yr
[#17] Ongoing operation costs for effluent decontamination, chemical dosing, testing to meet bi-monthly inspection standards.
Facilities Maintenance $40K/yr
[#1, #3, #16] Routine structural and mechanical maintenance of tank, life-support redundancy parts, and scheduled service.
Security Training $35K/yr
[#9] Ongoing training, specialized aquatic-anomaly protocol training, and overtime associated with security staff.
Containment Drills And Emergency Response $30K/yr
[#20] Regular rapid-response training, drills, sedative stock rotation, and emergency preparedness exercises.
Veterinary Care $25K/yr
[#12] Routine veterinary care, pharmaceuticals, emergency treatments and consumable supplies.
Energy Consumption $20K/yr
[#6] Continuous energy costs for pumps, chillers, lighting, and control systems (estimated consumption at site rates).
It Maintenance And Cybersecurity $19K/yr
[#19] Maintenance, updates, backups, and cybersecurity for classified records and research data.
Replacement And Breeding Management $18K/yr
[#22] Budget for replacing lost animals, breeding management and associated consumables or holding tanks.
Generator Operation $15K/yr
[#7] Fuel, maintenance and periodic testing costs for backup generator/UPS and emergency pumping systems.
Logistics And Transport $12K/yr
[#21] Operating, maintenance and fuel for transport vehicles and secure shipment logistics.
Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.7M/yr
91.5% probability / year
Normal year with scheduled operations, routine research, and no major incidents.
standard_operations routine_maintenance scheduled_research
🚨 Minor Incident $1.9M/yr
8.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Localized equipment failure or small escape attempt requiring emergency response, repairs, and temporary increased staffing.
localized_escape_attempt equipment_failure small_medical_emergency
🚨 Major Breach $3.2M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$1.5M vs baseline
Coordinated escape or public exposure requiring large-scale emergency response, facility upgrades, replacement of stock, and significant legal/PR actions.
coordinated_escape mass_proliferation public_exposure
👥 Personnel 13 total
Role Count Notes
Aquarist / Animal Technician 2 [#8] Two full-time trained aquarists for daily husbandry and water quality management.
Diver / Maintenance Technician 1 [#8] Part-time diver/maintenance tech for cleaning and repairs.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#9] Six guards for 24/7 guarded access (two per shift across three shifts).
Security Supervisor 1 [#9] Security supervisor overseeing aquatic-anomaly protocols and guard teams.
Research Scientist 2 [#10] Two marine/behavioral researchers assigned to behavioral studies and experiment design.
Laboratory Technician 1 [#10] One lab tech supporting researchers and sample processing.
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates use midpoints of provided ranges and explicit line items from analyst notes; considerable variability remains due to uncertainty in site-specific construction premiums, energy rates, secrecy-level choices, and the potential need for high-containment upgrades, so confidence is medium.
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