Archive

High-Level & Tank Waste

Coverage of DOE-EM’s efforts to retrieve, treat, and immobilize high-level radioactive tank waste at Hanford, Savannah River, and other sites — including the Waste Treatment Plant and Defense Waste Processing Facility.

  • SRS waste facilities resume operations after outage

    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 […]

  • BWXT-led Hanford waste prime takes week-long safety break

    Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure (H2C), the BWX Technologies-led liquid waste prime, suspended work for a week due to safety concerns at the former plutonium production site at Richland, Wash. “H2C initiated a week-long safety stand down, pausing non-essential operations and holding all-hands meetings with its workforce, including management, to discuss the recent spike […]

  • Wrap Up: EnergSec dedicates offsite SRNL center; SRS empties another tank; Urenco plan wins NRC OK; more

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright joined several members of the South Carolina congressional delegation this week to officially open the Savannah River National Laboratory’s new offsite Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. The national laboratory will operate the 63,000-square-foot research center although it will be located the university, DOE said in a Thursday press release. The $66-million project […]

  • Savannah River cleans out another radwaste tank

    The state regulator for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina is satisfied workers have successfully cleaned out the high-level liquid radioactive waste from Tank 8, DOE said this week. The milestone marks the sixth tank in 13 months to receive preliminary cease waste removal designation from the South Carolina Department of […]

  • SRS crews could double-stack 300 waste canisters in fiscal 2025

    Crews at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) are expected to double-stack 300 canisters of vitrified high level waste this fiscal year ending Sept. 30.  That figure would continue a decade-long mission that is conserving space at the South Carolina complex, according to the DOE.    To date, liquid waste contractor BWX Technologies-led Savannah […]

  • DOE makes headway on emptying SRS tanks

    The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina said June 17 it has removed waste from two more radioactive waste tanks at the 310-square-mile facility near the Georgia state line. Tanks 11 and 15 are the fourth and fifth waste tanks in 12 months to meet the “preliminary cease waste removal” designation, DOE’s […]

  • DOE makes headway on emptying SRS tanks

    The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina said June 17 it has removed waste from two more radioactive waste tanks at the 310-square-mile facility near the Georgia state line. Tanks 11 and 15 are the fourth and fifth waste tanks in 12 months to meet the “preliminary cease waste removal” designation, DOE’s […]

  • SRS waste contractor completes pipe upgrades during outage

    Pipe modifications in a tank farm at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina are winding down and should be complete in July, according to DOE.  The utility work at the 310-square-mile site near Aiken, S.C., comes  during a planned outage, which began on April 28 and is on track to finish […]

  • SRS waste contractor completes pipe upgrades during outage

    Pipe modifications in a tank farm at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina are winding down and should be complete in July, according to DOE.  The utility work at the 310-square-mile site near Aiken, S.C., comes  during a planned outage, which began on April 28 and is on track to finish […]

  • Hanford workers install missing link from tanks to WTP

    The Department of Energy said Tuesday workers at its sprawling nuclear cleanup site in Washington state have installed one last piece of piping needed for the plant that will vitrify liquid radioactive waste into a solid glass form. Crews have finished the final connection between underground tanks storing radioactive waste and the multi-billion-dollar Waste Treatment […]

  • SRS relying on SWPF improvements to treat more liquid waste

    SAVANNAH, GA. – Despite its stops and starts, the Salt Waste Processing Facility is central to helping the Department of Energy address liquid radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site before 2024, a DOE executive said Wednesday. Since coming online about five years ago, the plant has treated more than 11 million gallons of salt […]

  • Hanford workers install missing link from tanks to WTP

    The Department of Energy said Tuesday workers at its sprawling nuclear cleanup site in Washington state have installed one last piece of piping needed for the plant that will vitrify liquid radioactive waste into a solid glass form. Crews have finished the final connection between underground tanks storing radioactive waste and the multi-billion-dollar Waste Treatment […]

  • DOE, Bechtel enhance simulant to test vitrification of liquid tank waste

    The Department of Energy and Bechtel National said Tuesday they have taken another incremental step in cold commissioning of a multi-billion-dollar plant to convert liquid radioactive tank waste into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Ammonia and nitrous oxide-producing chemicals are being introduced into the melters for the Waste Treatment […]

  • DOE, Bechtel enhance simulant to test vitrification of liquid tank waste

    The Department of Energy and Bechtel National said Tuesday they have taken another incremental step in cold commissioning of a multi-billion-dollar plant to convert liquid radioactive tank waste into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Ammonia and nitrous oxide-producing chemicals are being introduced into the melters for the Waste Treatment […]

  • In Senate panel testimony, Jarrell cites liquid waste progress

    The current head of the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management told a Senate Armed Services Committee panel this week progress is being made toward solidifying liquid radioactive waste left over from the Cold War and Manhattan Project. Roger Jarrell II, DOE’s principal deputy assistant secretary for Environmental Management (EM) also told the […]

  • In Senate panel testimony, Jarrell cites liquid waste progress

    The current head of the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management told a Senate Armed Services Committee panel this week progress is being made toward solidifying liquid radioactive waste left over from the Cold War and Manhattan Project. Roger Jarrell II, DOE’s principal deputy assistant secretary for Environmental Management (EM) also told the […]

  • Spring outage underway for SRS liquid waste operations

    The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site is putting liquid waste operations on hold due to a planned maintenance outage that started April 28. The annual break in operations is expected to last until July and should help increase liquid waste processing at the 310-square-mile site in South Carolina, a Savannah River Site (SRS) spokesperson […]

  • H2C takes control of Hanford liquid waste

    Effective this week, BWX Technologies-led Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) is taking over as the contractor in charge of about 56 million gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. “H2C leads the nation’s largest and most complex radioactive waste cleanup, including closure of the […]

  • IWTU down again until June

    A plant built to solidify sodium-bearing liquid radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory is offline for maintenance until June, according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). According to a DNFSB staff report dated Feb. 7 and recently posted on the board’s website, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) started […]

  • IWTU down again until June

    A plant built to solidify sodium-bearing liquid radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory is offline for maintenance until June, according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). According to a DNFSB staff report dated Feb. 7 and recently posted on the board’s website, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) started […]

  • H2C takes control of Hanford liquid waste

    Effective this week, BWX Technologies-led Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) is taking over as the contractor in charge of about 56 million gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. “H2C leads the nation’s largest and most complex radioactive waste cleanup, including closure of the […]

  • Incoming Hanford tank waste contractor lines up workforce

    The BWX Technologies-led contractor soon to be in charge of the 56 million gallons of liquid tank waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site has already lined up most of its rank-and-file workforce. Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) had already secured commitments from 92% of the workforce at Amentum-led Washington River Protection […]

  • Incoming Hanford tank waste contractor lines up workforce

    The BWX Technologies-led contractor soon to be in charge of the 56 million gallons of liquid tank waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site has already lined up most of its rank-and-file workforce. Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) had already secured commitments from 92% of the workforce at Amentum-led Washington River Protection […]

  • Tweaks to SWPF should improve production, Savannah River boss says

    A top manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina expects upcoming modifications to the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) should help the plant meet its elusive production goals.  When it started hot operations in October 2020, SWPF was expected to treat between four million and six million gallons of salt […]

  • Tweaks to SWPF should improve production, Savannah River boss says

    A top manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina expects upcoming modifications to the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) should help the plant meet its elusive production goals.  When it started hot operations in October 2020, SWPF was expected to treat between four million and six million gallons of salt […]

  • Feds, Washington state finalize holistic Hanford tank waste agreement

    After about four years of talks and 185 public comments, two federal agencies and Washington state have blessed an amended 15-year plan for treating radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. In a press release, the agencies reiterated they are sticking with the August 2025 deadline for starting to solidify some of the […]

  • Feds, Washington state finalize holistic Hanford tank waste agreement

    After about four years of talks and 185 public comments, two federal agencies and Washington state have blessed an amended 15-year plan for treating radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. In a press release, the agencies reiterated they are sticking with the August 2025 deadline for starting to solidify some of the […]

  • DOE formalizes decision to move failed melters at Savannah River to above-ground storage

    The Department of Energy last week said it would move a pair of failed melters from Savannah River Site’s Defense Waste Processing Facility to above-ground storage. The agency announced its decision in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) solidifies into glass-like cylinders the liquid radioactive waste created at the Savannah […]

  • Incoming Hanford liquid waste contractor plans January meetings

    The BWX Technologies-led joint venture assuming responsibility for managing liquid waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has scheduled a couple of employee transition meetings for January. The sessions, announced in a Nov. 20 post on the Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) website, will be set for Jan. 15 […]

  • Incoming Hanford liquid waste contractor plans January meetings

    The BWX Technologies-led joint venture assuming responsibility for managing liquid waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has scheduled a couple of employee transition meetings for January. The sessions, announced in a Nov. 20 post on the Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) website, will be set for Jan. 15 […]