By installing the last piece of pipe, Hanford Site workers have completed the final connection between underground tanks storing radioactive waste and the waste treatment plant that will begin solidifying it in glass later this year. June 10, 2025
Office of Environmental Management
June 10, 2025
minute read time
Workers with Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure use long-reach tools to tighten nozzle connectors while installing the final piece of piping needed to connect the tank farms to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.
Achievement marks latest step toward solidifying Hanford tank waste in glass
RICHLAND, Wash. — By installing the last piece of pipe, Hanford Site workers have completed the final connection between underground tanks storing radioactive waste and the waste treatment plant that will begin solidifying it in glass later this year.
“Advancing the tank waste mission safely and effectively is a top priority for the Hanford Site,” U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Hanford Field Office Acting Manager Brian Harkins said. “This last link brings Hanford another step closer to solidifying tank waste in glass. We’re doing some final testing at the plant to make sure the exhaust system is ready, and soon we’ll be ready to begin making glass.”
The jumper is lowered into position in the Tank AP-106 A Pit at the Hanford Site.
Workers previously installed a 3,500-foot underground transfer line between the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant and a million-gallon storage tank called AP-106. The tank holds about 830,000 gallons of waste that has been treated and is ready to send to the plant where it will be solidified in glass.
Workers recently installed the final piece of pipe, called a jumper, to complete the connection.
“Installing this last piece of equipment involved months of coordination with treatment plant staff for awareness and safety,” Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure (H2C) President and Program Manager Carol Johnson said. “This final connection is a clear indication of the progress the One Hanford team is making toward hot commissioning.”
Hanford is currently “cold commissioning” the plant, using a simulated waste made up of chemicals to test treatment and exhaust systems. “Hot commissioning,” using actual waste from Tank AP-106, will begin later this year. Workers with H2C and the treatment plant are practicing waste transfer procedures to ensure safe, compliant transfers in the coming months.
Click the link here to see how crews installed the jumper.
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environment Management, submit your e-mail address.