Construction is almost complete on a dry-storage area for 1,936 radioactive cesium and strontium capsules currently housed in an underwater basin at the nearby Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) at the Hanford Site.
Office of Environmental Management
July 13, 2021
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Construction is almost complete on a dry-storage area for 1,936 radioactive cesium and strontium capsules currently housed in an underwater basin at the nearby Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) at the Hanford Site.
Following construction of two large concrete storage pads last fall, EM Richland Operations Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) continued activities this spring with installation of lighting, a fire protection pipeline, and fencing around the pads, as well as paving a new road for the half-mile transfer of the capsules from the WESF. Final construction activities, which include rerouting overhead electrical utilities to support movement of the capsules, are expected to be finished this month.
The capsules have been stored at the WESF since the mid-1970s. The cesium and strontium were removed from tank waste at Hanford to reduce the temperature of the waste inside the tanks.
“Completion of the dry-storage area is a key accomplishment and gets us another step closer to moving the capsules out of the aging WESF facility,” said Gary Pyles, EM federal project director. “While the capsules are currently in a safe and compliant configuration, transferring the capsules to dry storage will enable the planned deactivation of the WESF and reduce the risk and cost for storage of the capsules.”
The capsules will be placed in stainless-steel-and-concrete casks before being moved to the dry-storage pad. The dry cask storage system is designed for passive cooling by the airflow within the cask. This same system is used at commercial nuclear power plants. Storing the capsules this way will also reduce annual operating costs by an estimated $6 million.
Earlier this year, CPCCo awarded a $9.5 million construction subcontract to Apollo Mechanical Contractors, Inc. to make the necessary structural and utility-related modifications to the WESF and install the system needed to transfer the capsules to the dry-storage casks.
“Our team has made tremendous progress over the past year on several key components of this challenging project,” said Mark Buckmaster, CPCCo capsule transfer project manager. “We look forward to continuing to work with the DOE and our other partners to keep the momentum going on this critical risk-reduction effort.”
Movement of the capsules to the dry-storage area is expected to be completed in 2025.
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