Cleanup Progress Continues to Benefit Idaho National Laboratory

U.S Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management cleanup progress at the Idaho National Laboratory Site, including at the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit, pictured, continues to benefit the laboratory.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Two decades ago, one contract encompassing the work of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) and Nuclear Energy (NE) offices at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was split into two, one for each office.

The idea behind the change was that one contract for EM would accelerate the legacy environmental cleanup mission to reduce DOE’s environmental liabilities and enhance the INL’s nuclear mission. Meanwhile, the NE contract would progress and expand the laboratory’s NE and Homeland Security missions.

In light of the EM-NE partnership and EM’s progress meeting cleanup milestones, the state of Idaho recently signed a waiver to the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement, a pact for the DOE, state of Idaho and U.S. Navy that outlines several waste management and cleanup milestones and limits the import of spent nuclear fuel to the state. The waiver enables the INL to receive a research cask containing spent nuclear fuel from the North Anna Generating Station in Louisa County, Virginia. NE’s research will provide data for the licensing of extended storage at spent nuclear fuel facilities.

In the waiver, the parties noted that EM finished transferring the remainder of government-owned fuel from a pool to safer, dry storage nine months ahead of an Idaho Settlement Agreement milestone. That work by EM and contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition is yet another example of how EM’s success is benefiting the INL.

Almost 18 months ago, the INL was allowed to receive research quantities of spent nuclear fuel from the Byron Generating Station in Illinois after EM’s Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) filled a single stainless steel canister of treated sodium-bearing waste from onsite underground tanks. After filling an additional 99 canisters with treated waste during a processing run that converted more than 68,000 gallons of liquid to a stable, granular solid, the INL could receive additional quantities of spent nuclear fuel for research.

To date, IWTU crews have treated more than 279,000 gallons — about 33% of the total volume of the site’s sodium-bearing waste — from three tanks. Currently, the facility is in an outage to replace granulated activated carbon beds, which remove mercury during radiological operations.

“Through our successful actions, we continue to underpin the importance of the Idaho Settlement Agreement, and in turn, benefit the INL’s important work as the country’s lead Nuclear Energy and Homeland Security laboratory,” said Nick Balsmeier, acting EM manager for the DOE-Idaho Operations Office.

IWTU uses steam-reforming technology to treat sodium-bearing waste generated during decontamination activities between historic spent nuclear fuel reprocessing runs at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little spoke favorably of the most recent waiver that allowed the North Anna Generating Station cask to come to the INL for research.

“The collaborative effort between the state of Idaho, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory showcases our commitment to advancing nuclear energy research while upholding the goals of the 1995 Settlement Agreement,” he said. “We are proud to support innovation in nuclear energy that will support national security and energy independence into the future.”

-Contributor: Erik Simpson