The Department of Energy briefed residents in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state last month on its plans to expand upon its Tank-Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) technology at the Hanford Site.
DOE’s Office of Environmental Management provided a public briefing June 17 at the Richland, Wash., public library on plans to “bring existing modular cesium removal technology to the 200 West Area to meet tank waste retrieval goals,” according to meeting materials.
DOE Environmental Management has been pleased with use of its TSCR system in the 200 East Area. DOE has used TSCR to pre-treat tank waste and remove cesium before the waste entered the Direct-Feed-Low-Activity-Waste Facilities at the Waste Treatment Plant to be converted into a solid glass form. The multibillion-dollar Waste Treatment Plant started making glass out of some of Hanford’s less-radioactive tank waste in October 2025.
Building upon TSCR, DOE is making plans for what it calls the West Area Risk Management System. DOE and its Hanford Field Office managers hope this West area project will help it meet the 2024 “Holistic Agreement” update to the Tri-Party Agreement for Hanford cleanup. Both documents were negotiated by DOE, the state of Washington and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“The Holistic Agreement includes retrieving waste from 22 tanks in Hanford’s 200 West Area by 2040 and grouting the low-activity portion for out-of-state disposal,” according to the June 17 slide presentation.
DOE is submitting its notice of intent for the West Area project this summer, with the final design expected in fall with both a permit application and construction work expected to start in 2027.