ARLINGTON, VA – Within weeks the Department of Energy could announce potential winners of a solicitation to set up a nuclear fuel recycling demonstration at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the department’s head of nuclear cleanup said here last week.
Tim Walsh, the head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, said Sept. 15 at the National Cleanup Workshop that his office and DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy are reviewing responses to April’s request for applications.
“Later this week we are interviewing reprocessing finalists and will be announcing a selection in conjunction with” DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Walsh said.
“Projects like this one are pivotal as DOE advances used fuel recycling programs in Idaho that are the cornerstone of the nation’s nuclear renaissance,” Walsh said.
“We are partnering with the private sector to unlock the potential for use of nuclear fuel as a resource versus a waste stream to be disposed of,” Walsh said.
Here are a few leftover nuggets from Walsh at the Cleanup Workshop by DOE and hosted by the Energy Communities Alliance and the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG):
Travel: During his first year as DOE assistant secretary of environmental management or EM-1, Walsh said he has visited nine of the 15 DOE nuclear cleanup sites. He hopes to hit the rest by the end of the year.
Artificial intelligence (AI): Using AI through the Genesis Mission should “result in more than $150 billion in lifecycle cleanup savings and I am confident that we will see that,” Walsh said.
Hanford glass-making: Since Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facilities started operating in October 2025, the Waste Treatment Plant has vitrified 200,000 gallons of into solid glass form. Walsh said the goal is to reach two million gallons annually.