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SCP-853 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-853
Expected annual
$2.9M
One-time setup
$13.6M
Annual recurring
$2.9M
Personnel
13
Initial capital to establish secure containment and remote test capability is roughly $13.6M, while steady-state operations run at about $2.9M/year; the largest drivers are optional hardened remote test infrastructure, insurance/reserve contributions, and staffing/testing operations.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $13.6M
Contingency Capital $10.0M
[#22] Optional contingency capital for hardened test enclosure / offshore platform (low-end ~$10M).
Facilities $2.1M
[#1, #10] Secure Containment Locker retrofit/build (~$150k) and remote test-site land prep/infrastructure (~$2.0M).
Equipment $1.2M
[#3, #4, #8, #11, #15, #21] Inventory/RFID & scanners, CCTV system, 2 remote-opening rigs, mobile radar/LIDAR package, secure vehicle purchase and server/storage hardware (~$1.25M total).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $155K
[#12, #17] On-premises compute cluster and initial PPE/small lab consumables (~$155k).
Background Checks $78K
[#7] Initial background checks/clearances/psych screening for program staff (~$78k).
Padded Containers $4K
[#2] Initial purchase of padded boxes and archival packing for ~100 jars (~$3.5k).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $2.9M/yr
Staff Wages $800K/yr
[#5, #6] Lead researcher, meteorologists, lab technicians and security personnel payroll with hazard/overtime (research + security combined ~ $800k/yr).
Insurance Reserve $500K/yr
[#24] Catastrophic insurance/reserve contribution to cover low-probability/high-impact liability (~$500k/yr).
Research And Monitoring $450K/yr
[#11, #12, #20, #21] Weather instrumentation ops, radiosonde/drone consumables, modeling/data subscriptions and research program costs (~$450k/yr).
Admin Overhead $378K/yr
[#23] Administrative overhead, HR, accounting and contingency staffing (~15% of direct recurring operating budget).
Emergency Reserve Fund $250K/yr
[#13] Contribution to emergency response/remediation reserve (~$250k/yr recommended minimum).
Cover Story And Legal $150K/yr
[#14] Baseline legal counsel, public affairs and coordination with authorities (~$150k/yr).
Remote Site Ops $150K/yr
[#10] Ongoing remote test site operations (power, comms, shelter maintenance) (~$150k/yr).
Per Test Operational $60K/yr
[#9] Per-test logistics (site prep, evacuation, instrumentation deployment). Assumes ~6 tests/yr at ~ $10k/test average (~$60k/yr).
Logistics And Transport $50K/yr
[#15] Vehicle operations, drivers, fuel and insurance for secure transport (~$50k/yr).
Medevac Retainer $30K/yr
[#16] Medevac/airlift contract retainer for remote testing (~$30k/yr).
Facilities Maintenance $25K/yr
[#1, #10] Locker maintenance, grounding/EM shielding checks and basic facility upkeep (~$25k/yr).
Training And Recertification $16K/yr
[#7] Annual recertification, psychological screening refreshers and drills (~$500–$2k/person/yr; estimated ~$1,250/person for 13 staff).
Supplies And Consumables $10K/yr
[#2, #17, #18] Annual replacement of padded boxes, PPE consumables and routine fragile-jar replacement (~$10k/yr).
Remote Rig Maintenance $10K/yr
[#8] Maintenance/calibration for remote-opening rigs (~$10k/yr).
Environmental Compliance $10K/yr
[#19] Annual permits, environmental assessments and minor remediation (~$10k/yr baseline).
Cctv Monitoring $7K/yr
[#4] Monitoring, storage and maintenance for CCTV/breach sensors (~$7k/yr).
Inventory Maintenance $4K/yr
[#3] Hosting, software maintenance and audits for inventory/tracking (~$4k/yr).
Fragile Replacement And Documentation $1K/yr
[#18] Small budget for jar replacement and incident documentation (~$1k/yr).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $2.9M/yr
95.5% probability / year
Normal year with no major incidents; routine testing and maintenance only.
routine_tests scheduled_maintenance no_public_incidents
🚨 Minor Incident $3.2M/yr
4.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Accidental or modest test-induced weather event requiring emergency response, small remediation and legal/PR actions.
unplanned_event_opening localized_damage heightened_public_attention
🚨 Major Breach $7.9M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$5.0M vs baseline
Severe accidental opening or test producing tornado-scale or otherwise destructive weather in a populated area requiring large remediation/indemnity and major legal exposure.
tornado-scale_event public_exposure large_property_damage
👥 Personnel 13 total
Role Count Notes
Lead Researcher / Site Head 1 Senior scientist overseeing access approvals and experiments [#5].
Meteorologist / Research Scientist 2 Operational meteorologists to plan and interpret tests [#5].
Lab Technician 3 Technicians for handling, packing, and experiment support [#5].
Security Officer / MTF Agent 4 Cleared security staff enforcing 2PI, escorts and 24/7 coverage [#6].
Driver / Courier 1 Secure transport operator for jar movement [#15].
Engineer / Maintenance 1 Technical maintenance for rigs, instruments and facilities [#8, #11].
Administrative Staff 1 Admin, HR and compliance support included in overhead [#23].
📋 Confidence Notes
Line items and ranges are well-documented in analyst notes, but key drivers (number of jars, test frequency, decision to build hardened test facilities, and exact insurance/reserve levels) are uncertain, producing moderate confidence in totals.
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