High-Level & Tank Waste

After New Mexico again in November suspended certain Department of Energy efforts to control a hexavalent chromium plume at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the manager of federal legacy cleanup there said last week the parties are looking for solutions. On Nov. 18, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) withdrew its temporary authorization for continuation […]

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. […]

After New Mexico again in November suspended certain Department of Energy efforts to control a hexavalent chromium plume at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the manager of federal legacy cleanup there said last week the parties are looking for solutions. On Nov. 18, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) withdrew its temporary authorization for continuation […]

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 […]

A maintenance outage last year at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina helped improve operations at the site’s Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), DOE said recently.  The DOE Office of Environmental Management contractor installed larger, higher-capacity cross flow filters at the SWPF during a planned system-wide operational outage in 2025 to […]

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, […]

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, […]

A maintenance outage last year at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina helped improve operations at the site’s Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), DOE said recently.  The DOE Office of Environmental Management contractor installed larger, higher-capacity cross flow filters at the SWPF during a planned system-wide operational outage in 2025 to […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A month after starting up the long-awaited plant to turn liquid waste into glass form, crews at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., took another key step on an environmental project to protect the Columbia River. “Over the weekend, crews removed the first cesium capsules from the underground pool at the Waste Encapsulation and Storage […]

Tank waste removal at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site jumped nearly two years ahead of schedule during fiscal 2025, based on milestones laid out in an agreement between site management and federal and state regulators.  In its 2022 Federal Facility Agreement (FFA), the Savannah River Site committed to the Preliminary Cease Waste Removal […]

Work crews at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina are starting what DOE dubs a “leak-tightness” test on its fifth super-sized saltstone disposal unit (SDU) at the federal complex near Aiken, S.C. Starting Monday, Oct. 27, environmental contractor Savannah River Mission Completion was to begin running the test on SDU-10, DOE […]

Work crews at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina are starting what DOE dubs a “leak-tightness” test on its fifth super-sized saltstone disposal unit (SDU) at the federal complex near Aiken, S.C. Starting Monday, Oct. 27, environmental contractor Savannah River Mission Completion will start running the test on SDU-10, DOE said […]

The Department of Energy Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) at the Hanford Site in Washington state has filled seven canisters with vitrified tank waste as of Friday Oct. 17, according to DOE. As of Friday morning, Oct. 17 at Hanford “7 containers were full, an 8th was almost complete, and the 9th was in the process […]

Already offline for most of 2025, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, will remain out of service until early 2026, a DOE spokesperson said this week. After DOE and Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition returned the facility to operation July 17, the IWTU shut down five days […]

Already offline for most of 2025, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, will remain out of service until early 2026, a DOE spokesperson said this week. After DOE and Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition returned the facility to operation July 17, the facility shut down five days […]

The Department of Energy Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) at the Hanford Site in Washington state has filled seven canisters with vitrified tank waste as of Friday, according to DOE. As of Friday morning, Oct. 17 at Hanford “7 containers were full, an 8th was almost complete, and the 9th was in the process of being […]

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington is expected to start operations this week with only one melter in operation, an Oregon panel heard last week. The plant, designed to vitrify radioactive liquid tank waste into a glass-like solid, will start up this week operating only […]

Twenty-five years after the Department of Energy contracted Bechtel National to build a plant to vitrify radioactive sludge into a glass form, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) began operation this week at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Wednesday Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility (DFLAW) at WTP […]

Twenty-five years after the Department of Energy contracted Bechtel National to build a plant to vitrify radioactive sludge into a glass form, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) began operation this week at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Wednesday Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility (DFLAW) at WTP […]

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington is expected to start operations this week with only one melter in operation, an Oregon panel heard last week. The plant, designed to vitrify radioactive liquid tank waste into a glass-like solid, will start up this week operating only […]

The Department of Energy acknowledged Thursday morning that the first liquid radioactive and chemical sludge from underground tanks at the Hanford Site is being transferred into the new Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) in Richland, Wash. “With radioactive tank waste now being transferred to Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant, the Low Activity Waste Facility hot […]

The state of Washington said Wednesday the Department of Energy has its final authorization to start turning radioactive tank waste into glass at the Hanford Site’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.  DOE faces an Oct. 15 deadline to begin operating the facility that state officials had recently feared the feds might walk away from.  The Washington state […]

Crews at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state have relocated 430,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste from an old single-shell underground tank into a newer double-shell one, DOE said Tuesday. BWX Technologies-led contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) oversaw the transfer to a newer double-shell tank from Single-Shell […]

The Department of Energy has issued a decision to clear the way for a multi-billion-dollar plant to start turning radioactive sludge into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement late Wednesday she was glad DOE […]

Crews at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state have relocated 430,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste from an old single-shell underground tank into a newer double-shell one, DOE said Tuesday. BWX Technologies-led contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) oversaw the transfer to a newer double-shell tank from Single-Shell […]

Liquid waste work at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina resumed recently, following an annual maintenance outage.  While major waste treatment facilities at the 310-square-mile complex have resumed operations, some outage tasks have not yet been completed, according to DOE.  Liquid waste contractor Savannah River Mission Completion began the outage on […]