The Hanford Nuclear Reservation, located in the state of Washington, is the site of the largest and most complex nuclear cleanup challenge in the United States. From 1944, when the first reactor produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project, until 1987, when the ninth and last reactor was shut down, Hanford produced about two-thirds of the nation’s plutonium stockpile for nuclear weapons. The production processes resulted in substantial amounts of radioactive and other hazardous wastes; presently, about 56 million gallons of waste are stored in 177 underground tanks.

Treating all the waste at Hanford is expected to take 40-50 years at a cost of more than $50 billion. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is responsible for managing the cleanup. DOE plans to use vitrification, or immobilization in glass waste forms, for all of the “high level waste” at Hanford, which comprises about 10 percent of the volume and 90 percent of the radioactivity. The remainder—about 90 percent of the volume—is designated “low-activity waste,” some of which also will be vitrified. However, because of capacity limits at the new vitrification plant that DOE is building, not all of the low-activity waste can be treated there. DOE must determine how to immobilize the remaining low-activity waste—referred to as “supplemental low-activity waste” or SLAW—so that it will be safe for disposal in a near-surface disposal site.

To help inform its decision, DOE contracted with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), led by Savannah River National Laboratory, to analyze and report its findings about three potential technologies for immobilizing the SLAW. Congress also requested that the National Academies review the commissioned report.

This second review evaluates the FFRDC report in terms of its value for decision making and how well it meets various requirements specified in Congressional acts related to Hanford cleanup. The review concludes that the FFRDC report is overall very strong, provides a useful framework for evaluating the technology options, and is responsive to guidance from the first National Academies review.

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On November 4, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a supplement to the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for "the Holtec International's License Application for a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Lea County, New Mexico." The FEIS was published on July 22, 2022. 

When NRC issued its FEIS, it inadvertently left out two public comments in the document; as a matter of thoroughness and to comply with public comment regulations, NRC is now including those two comments in the EIS for the record. NRC notes that the previously excluded comments “do not provide new and significant information regarding the project,” and the supplement does not include any changes to impact analysis or determinations; therefore, the recommendation in the FEIS remains the same.

Holtec International (Holtec) has requested a license to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and Greater-Than- Class C (GTCC) waste, along with a small quantity of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. The proposed CISF would be located in southeast New Mexico at a site located approximately halfway between the cities of Carlsbad and Hobbs. 

The proposed action is the issuance of an NRC license authorizing a CISF to store up to 8,680 metric tons of uranium (MTUs) [9,568 short tons] of SNF in 500 canisters for a license period of 40 years.

To read the Federal Register notice, please click here.