Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Site 101 Video
Office of Environmental Management
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the nation’s only repository for the disposal of transuranic waste generated by atomic energy defense activities. WIPP is located 33 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the Chihuahuan Desert, far from major population centers. Waste is disposed of in a set of panels located nearly one-half mile below the surface in a deep geologic salt bed formed 250 million years ago. The facility began operation in 1999 and celebrated 20 years of operations in 2019. To date, WIPP has received approximately 13,000 shipments that were safely transported more than 15 million cumulative miles. Watch the video above to learn more about the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Field Manager
Reinhard Knerr, Carlsbad Field Office Manager
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Budget
| FY21 Enacted (In the millions) |
FY22 Enacted (In the millions) |
FY23 Requested (In the millions) |
| $420 | $451 | $463 |
Another shipment of Transuranic (TRU) waste arrives safely at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico.
WIPP News
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Employees have begun emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste in Panel 8 of EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
November 22, 2022
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At long last, Panel 7 at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is full.
October 25, 2022
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Consider the following heart-pounding scenario hundreds of employees responded to as part of the EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s (WIPP) recent annual emergency exercise.
October 4, 2022
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EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White praised recent progress in EM’s cleanup work and laid out a roadmap of future success as he kicked off the first full day of the annual National Cleanup Workshop in Arlington, Virginia on Sept. 22.
September 27, 2022
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A panel of leaders from EM and several of its contractors provided updates at the National Cleanup Workshop on key progress and discussed the next phase of the cleanup mission.
September 27, 2022
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Eight managers leading cleanup at EM sites across the DOE complex highlighted successes and shared challenges over the past year during a roundtable discussion at the National Cleanup Workshop.
September 27, 2022
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EM crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) jointly observed a day focused on safety last week to review transuranic (TRU) waste shipping and receipt procedures.
September 20, 2022
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DOE and an association that helps worksites advance safety and health goals last week awarded several cleanup contractors across the EM complex.
August 30, 2022
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Mine rescue teams from EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) finished in the top 15 in both the overall and field competitions at the first-ever joint Coal, Metal and Nonmetal National Mine Rescue Contest in Lexington, Kentucky.
August 23, 2022
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An association recently named the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as a recipient of the 2022 Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Outreach Award.
August 9, 2022
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