The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico received 29 transuranic (TRU) waste shipments in August, in its first full month following hoist repairs that paused disposal back in May.
By comparison, the facility received 55 waste shipments in August 2025, and 55 shipments in April of this year, when operations were fully functional. The facility received 23 shipments in May, before the shutdown began, and 17 in July when shipments resumed on the 22nd.
The figures are according to WIPP’s public shipment website.
Of the 29 August shipments, 11 came from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, about 350 miles north of Carlsbad, N.M. where WIPP is located. Another 10 came from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and four each came from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, about 50 miles east of San Francisco.
The 16-square-mile Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is operated for DOE by Bechtel-led prime Salado Isolation Mining Contractors. It is the nation’s only repository for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste, material contaminated with radioactive elements during nuclear missions. It typically includes protective clothing, tools, rags, equipment, and miscellaneous items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium.
In May, WIPP’s Air Intake Shaft Hoist and Salt Hoist were taken out of service due to failed equipment and a faulty motor. In a June 17 letter, the New Mexico Environment Department granted a 60-day storage time extension, through Aug. 27, for WIPP to begin receiving shipments, based on how long on how long contact-handled transuranic waste could remain in certain areas.
Heading into September, WIPP had received 261 shipments, including 118 from Idaho during fiscal 2026, which ends Sept. 30. During the first 11 months of fiscal 2025, the facility received 432 shipments, including 264 from Idaho.