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 of three, underground liquid waste tanks. Signed by South Carolina. Department of Environmental Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agreement allows SRS to remove the majority of waste from tanks without officially closing them, allowing for more efficient waste treatment.
“To date, liquid waste contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), has achieved PCWR for four tanks this year and seven tanks total since 2024, putting SRMC about two years ahead of schedule,” an SRS spokesperson said. “PCWR is a recognized milestone in the FFA which signifies that waste removal activities have been completed for a tank, and it can move forward for final characterization and grouting for closure.”
The liquid waste contractor at the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site boasted related milestones for fiscal 2025, en route to processing more than 30 million gallons of Cold War-era waste stored in 43 tanks. SRMC processed more than 1.9 million gallons of salt waste through the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF). The salt waste accounts for 90 percent of the tank volume. The other 10 percent is sludge waste, which is treated at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). There, the contractor poured 24 canisters of treated waste.
SRMC also continued its mission of double-stacking defense waste canisters, which creates additional space for storage. The contractor had a goal of 300 but fell slightly short with 254 double-stacked canisters.
As of a year ago, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi autonomous branch of DOE, is now the landlord and the Office of Environmental Management is now a tenant.
In addition to liquid waste work, SRS has a goal of 120 plutonium down blends. The site completed all 30 projected down blends tied to the 13.1 metric tons of EM plutonium. The other 90 down blends are part of the August 2020 settlement between South Carolina and the federal government, which states the Energy Department must remove 9.5 metric tons of plutonium from SRS by 2037. The stockpile is part of the 34 metric tons of weapons-usable plutonium initially intended to be processed through the cancelled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. SRS exceeded its goal by successfully conducting 106 down blends.