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SCP-5970 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-5970
Expected annual
$1.1M
One-time setup
$5.7M
Annual recurring
$1.0M
Personnel
8
Initial capital to construct and outfit the remote containment unit is the dominant one-time cost (~$5.69M). Recurring annual costs (~$1.05M/yr) are driven primarily by staff wages (security and program/admin), logistics/transport, research/monitoring, and an annual contingency reserve.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $5.7M
Facilities $4.5M
[#1] Heavy civil works for Containment Unit Alhaya-01 (foundation, erosion-resistant cladding, doubly‑locked hatch, structural anchors, mobilization to remote site).
Long Term Burial Reserve $400K
[#19] Seed escrow fund for eventual excavation/decommissioning or heavy remediation (10–30 year horizon).
Equipment $285K
[#2, #3, #4, #13] Hardened radio beacon and lock telemetry (#2), off-grid power system (solar+batteries+controller) (#3), perimeter monitoring sensors/mast (#4), transport fleet vehicle purchases (2–4 vehicles) (#13).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $250K
[#8, #16, #23] Initial imaging / photogrammetry equipment and multispectral gear (#8), archive / secure data storage hardware initial cost (#16), seed of specialized research program funding for preservation studies (#23).
Contingency Fund Establishment $200K
[#20] One-time establishment of contingency / incident response fund (initial capitalization).
Cover Establishment $30K
[#15] One-time cost to establish front company / cover project and initial legal/permit work.
Initial Compliance Cleanup $25K
[#21] One-time environmental / archaeological compliance and initial cleanup costs associated with cover operations and original outpost dismantling.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.0M/yr
Staff Wages $400K/yr
[#6, #8, #22, #24] Salaries and benefits for security guards/site custodians (#6), recurring linguist/translation staff contributions (#8), HQ program/administrative staffing (#22), and info‑sec/counterintelligence staffing contributions (#24).
Research And Monitoring $192K/yr
[#7, #14, #17, #23, #16] Field researcher team visits and specialist travel/per diem (#7), satellite imagery/geospatial subscription (#14), sample transport/secure lab processing (recurring average) (#17), ongoing specialized research program operating budget (#23), and archive/data storage ongoing costs (#16).
Cover Story And Legal $135K/yr
[#15, #21] Ongoing cover operations, local liaison, permits, payments, legal counsel and periodic archaeological outreach/compliance (#15, #21).
Logistics And Transport $111K/yr
[#5, #13] Routine site inspection visits including transport (quarterly or semiannual) and vehicle/helicopter logistics (#5), plus operating & maintenance for transport fleet (#13).
Contingency Reserve Annual $100K/yr
[#20] Annual set-aside reserve to fund rapid incident response, legal payouts, or equipment replacement (ongoing contingency).
Emergency Response Retainer $40K/yr
[#12] Medevac/rapid extraction retainer and on-call emergency response contract costs (retainer portion).
Facilities Maintenance $20K/yr
[#9] Engineering inspections and structural maintenance to counter desert erosion and sand loading.
Training And Protocols $20K/yr
[#18] Annual training, SOP development, and drills for guards, researchers, and maintenance crews.
Supplies And Consumables $18K/yr
[#10, #11] Hatch/lock periodic service, spare parts and seals (#10) and medical screening/monitoring consumables and baseline exams for entrants (#11).
Perimeter Monitoring Maintenance $6K/yr
[#4] Comms subscription, sensor maintenance, and low-visibility mast servicing for perimeter detection.
Beacon And Lock Maintenance $2K/yr
[#2] Annual maintenance, tamper-detection upkeep, and telemetry upkeep for radio beacon and lock wiring.
Power System Maintenance $2K/yr
[#3] Battery replacement amortization and controller/solar maintenance in harsh desert conditions.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.0M/yr
94.5% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with scheduled inspections, routine maintenance, staff wages, and ongoing research/cover expenses.
no incidents planned inspections routine maintenance
🚨 Minor Incident $1.2M/yr
5.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Localized unauthorized approach/excavation or small accidental damage requiring emergency activation, repairs, legal handling, and short-term research surge.
unauthorized excavation small structural breach medical evacuation
🚨 Major Breach $3.7M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$2.7M vs baseline
Significant discovery or intentional excavation causing major structural damage, full excavation needed, large repairs, replacement of systems, extensive legal/PR and expanded research requirements.
large-scale unauthorized excavation civilian discovery extensive structural failure
👥 Personnel 8 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 4 [#6] Small cadre of armed guards/site custodians (rotation ensures two authorized persons for lock operations).
Research Scientist 2 [#7, #8, #23] Linguist/translation specialist and preservation/biology researcher on recurring contract or part-time assignment for documentation and analysis.
Administrative Staff 1 [#22, #15] HQ program manager / administrative oversight for cover operations and accounting.
Information Security / Counterintelligence 1 [#24] Ops security, vetting, and cyber protections for stored translation and health data.
📋 Confidence Notes
Many line items in analyst notes provide ranges rather than precise bids; remote location and local contracting variability add uncertainty. Core recurring categories are well-identified, but incident probabilities and contingency sizing are judgment-based.
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