EM News Flash | April 10, 2017 |
WIPP Receives First Shipment Since Reopening
A
truck arrives at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant with the first
shipment of transuranic waste to be shipped to the site after its
reopening in January.
CARLSBAD, N.M. – EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
today announced receipt of its first shipment of transuranic (TRU)
waste since WIPP reopened in January. The shipment from Idaho is an
important milestone for WIPP and for DOE host communities that have had
to store TRU waste since WIPP suspended operations in February 2014 when
a truck fire and unrelated radiological event temporarily closed the
facility.
“To see shipments arriving again at WIPP is celebrated not only by the
WIPP workforce and the Carlsbad community but also by our DOE host
communities that support the critical missions of the Department,”
Carlsbad Field Office Manager Todd Shrader said.
Jack Zimmerman, Deputy Manager for the Idaho Cleanup Project at the
DOE Idaho Operations Office, said, “Due to the skill and dedication of
our workers, the Idaho Site has made remarkable progress over the years.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to every employee who has worked on
this project. I speak for all of us when I say that we are pleased to be
shipping to WIPP again.”
The facility plans to receive two shipments a week, ramping up to four
shipments a week by the end of 2017. Initial shipments are expected
from Idaho, Savannah River Site and Waste Control Specialists. Shipments
from Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratory are expected later
this year.
Eligibility for shipping is based on the generator sites verifying
that the TRU waste meets requirements for safe transportation and
disposal. The exact allocation and sequence for shipping will be
adjusted based on the emplacement rate at WIPP, operational needs at the
WIPP and generator sites, and logistical issues, such as weather, that
affect shipping.
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