Archive

Hanford Site

A DOE-EM site in Washington state and the nation’s largest nuclear cleanup project, home to millions of gallons of high-level radioactive tank waste and the Waste Treatment Plant built to vitrify it.

  • DOE seeks Hanford permit mod to grout some secondary waste

    The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site has asked the Washington state Department of Ecology for a permit change that could enable the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) to process up to 20 percent more tank waste. The  feds said in a Wednesday press release they have asked to use grout to solidify some of the secondary […]

  • K West exhaust stack comes down at Hanford

    A Department of Energy contractor has demolished a 175-foot-tall K West Reactor exhaust stack at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., DOE said Friday Feb. 20. Last week’s implosion of the exhaust stack marks another big step by Amentum-led contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company towards cocooning the last of nine Hanford reactors being placed into […]

  • Washington state lawmakers draft bill on DOE’s nuclear lifecycle hub

    Two Washington state lawmakers have introduced legislation that requests the governor pursue the Department of Energy’s state nuclear lifecycle campus inquiry. The bill, House Joint Memorial 4016, was initiated by state Reps. Stephanie Barnard (R) and Mark Klicker (R) on Feb. 14.   The two lawmakers represent districts not far from DOE’s largest nuclear cleanup site […]

  • Wrap Up: Centrus earnings dip; DOE nuclear records go digital; Hanford cyber team looks for threats; Paducah land cleared for major projects

    Earnings fell at Centrus Energy, Bethesda, Md., in the fourth quarter, which the uranium broker attributed to the decreased revenue from its uranium sector.  Net earnings for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 were $17.8 million, or $0.79 a share, down from $53.7 million, or $3.20 a share, in the year-ago quarter. Quarterly revenue was […]

  • Hanford’s digital threat team seeks proactive cyber security defense

    The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., has a six-person cyber threat response in place since 2023 charged with searching for signs of trouble across more than 10,000 connected devices at the federal complex, DOE said last week. Hanford’s Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) team, formed by Hanford’s Leidos-led landlord contractor Hanford […]

  • California company gets DOE blessing to use vacant Hanford structure

    The Department of Energy said Tuesday a California-based company that plans a major enrichment plant in Paducah, Ky., will use a longtime nuclear facility at the Hanford Site in Washington state as part of its efforts.  In a Tuesday press release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said it has teamed up with the nuclear fuel […]

  • California company gets DOE blessing to use vacant Hanford structure

    The Department of Energy said Tuesday a California-based company that plans a major enrichment plant in Paducah, Ky., will use a longtime nuclear facility at the Hanford Site in Washington state In a Tuesday press release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said it has teamed up with the nuclear fuel company General Matter for potential […]

  • WTP solidified 40K gallons of waste in 25; ops resume after Christmas outage

    ARLINGTON, VA –The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) solidified 40,000 gallons of low-level radioactive tank waste into glass form and filled 26 canisters during the facility’s first quarter of operation at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. This is one of the chief takeaways from an Exchange Monitor conversation with Brian Hartman Wednesday Jan. […]

  • Hanford Advisory Board seeks members

    The Department of Energy’s Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) is looking for new members to help provide nuclear cleanup advice for the former plutonium production complex at Richland, Wash. Formed in 1994, HAB predates most other DOE Office of Environmental Management Advisory Boards. The panel provides “informed recommendations” to not only DOE but also the U.S. […]

  • Washington state praises moving Hanford capsules to dry cask storage

    Workers at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site have successfully moved the first batch of cesium and strontium capsules from wet to dry storage, the Washington state Department of Ecology said Thursday. Within the next few years, all 1,936 of the highly-radioactive capsules, which make up a third of the total radioactivity at the Hanford […]

  • Hanford cleanup office given until mid-March to address DNFSB inquiry

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has agreed to give the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office a 90-day extension to answer board questions about welding issues for containers at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. As a result, the DOE Office of Environmental Management will have until March 16 to address DNFSB questions […]

  • Hanford cleanup office given until mid-March to address DNFSB inquiry

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has agreed to give the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office a 90-day extension to answer board questions about welding issues for containers at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. As a result, the DOE Office of Environmental Management will have until March 16 to address DNFSB questions […]

  • Bipartisan 2026 appropriations minibus passes House with EM, Hanford funding

    A three-bill minibus appropriations bill with fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including $8.5 billion for nuclear cleanup and $25.4 billion to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), passed the House floor 397-28 Thursday. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. […]

  • DOE gets more time to decide where to grout Hanford waste

    The state of Washington and the federal government have agreed to give the Department of Energy another six months to decide where to grout millions of gallons of less-radioactive tank waste from the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash. DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington state Department of Ecology have agreed the new […]

  • Hanford WTP filled 26 containers of glass during 2025

    As of Dec. 31, 2025, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site had filled 26 containers with glass converted from some of the site’s less-radioactive tank waste. “DOE’s Hanford Site “has processed/poured 113 metric tons of glass,” a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Ecology, the state regulator, […]

  • DOE gets more time to decide where to grout Hanford waste

    The state of Washington and the federal government have agreed to give the Department of Energy another six months to decide where to grout millions of gallons of less-radioactive tank waste from the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash. DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington state Department of Ecology have agreed the new […]

  • Hanford WTP filled 26 containers of glass during 2025

    As of Dec. 31, 2025, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site had filled 26 containers with glass converted from some of the site’s less-radioactive tank waste. DOE’s Hanford Site “has processed/poured 113 metric tons of glass,” a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Ecology, the state regulator, […]

  • Crews finish excavating new Hanford disposal cell

    Workers at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state have finished excavating a new landfill disposal cell, which should lengthen the lifespan of the radwaste facility by 15 years.  DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced just before Christmas that workers for contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company have finished digging out Super Cell 11 […]

  • 2025 in review: Hanford finally makes glass; federal brain drain among top stories

    After decades of work, the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., finally converted some liquid radioactive waste into glass – and some of the most senior people in DOE’s weapons complex left government service this year. These are a couple of the big stories of 2025 affecting DOE’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management […]

  • Nuclear cleanup office releases Hanford scorecards for fiscal 2025

    Amentum-led Central Plateau Cleanup Company won 96% of its potential overall fee, $18.6 million out of a potential $19.3 million, for its remediation at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. All five Hanford contractors that had fee scorecards released Tuesday have cost-plus contracts that allows them to make a profit on top […]

  • Hanford tank prime H2C invites grout proposals

    The BWX Technologies-led joint venture in charge of liquid waste cleanup at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is seeking subcontractors to solidify much of the less-radioactive waste into a concrete-like grout.  In a Dec. 9 solicitation, Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure LLC (H2C) sought proposals for grouting and disposal of […]

  • House appropriator Newhouse, who represents Hanford, won’t run again

    Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who used his post on the House Appropriations Committee to push for remediation of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, said Wednesday he will not stand for re-election. Newhouse, who also holds the unofficial status as perhaps one of President Donald Trump’s least favorite House members, made the announcement on his […]

  • House appropriator Newhouse, who represents Hanford, won’t run again

    Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who used his post on the House Appropriations Committee to push for remediation of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, said Wednesday he will not stand for re-election. Newhouse, who also holds the unofficial status as perhaps one of President Donald Trump’s least favorite House members, made the announcement on his […]

  • Hanford tank prime H2C invites grout proposals

    The BWX Technologies-led joint venture in charge of liquid waste cleanup at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is seeking subcontractors to solidify much of the less-radioactive waste into a concrete-like grout.  In a Dec. 9 solicitation, Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure LLC (H2C) sought proposals for grouting and disposal of […]

  • More than 20 containers of glass made so far at Hanford

    Over 20 containers of low-level radioactive sludge have now been solidified into a glass form at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state, feds said this week. The DOE Office of Environmental Management said in a Tuesday news release that the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) built by Bechtel National recently reached […]

  • 222-S Lab operator extended another year

    Navarro-ATL has been awarded a one-year extension of its management and operations contract for the 222-S Laboratory at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. Navarro-ATL, previously known as Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration, LLC, announced the extension Tuesday in a LinkedIn post. The original contract started in 2021. The contract includes a […]

  • 222-S Lab operator extended another year

    Navarro-ATL has been awarded a one-year extension of its management and operations contract for the 222-S Laboratory at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. Navarro-ATL, previously known as Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration, LLC, announced the extension Tuesday in a LinkedIn post. The original contract started in 2021. The contract includes a […]

  • More than 20 containers of glass made so far at Hanford

    Over 20 containers of low-level radioactive sludge have now been solidified into a glass form at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state, feds said this week. The DOE Office of Environmental Management said in a Tuesday news release that the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) built by Bechtel National recently reached […]

  • EnergySec Wright’s travels include Hanford, Idaho National Laboratory

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is logging a lot of miles before Christmas, visiting the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site as well as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory this week. Wright is then scheduled to round out his western swing on Monday Dec. 8 with a stopover at Idaho National Laboratory, according to notices released […]

  • Ex-Hanford security employee pleads guilty, gets probation in COVID loan fraud case

    A former security officer at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site state will avoid spending time behind bars after pleading guilty to making false statements to obtain payroll protection loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leif Gerlad Larsen was sentenced this week in federal court in Washington state to two years probation, according to filings with […]