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
Mark Bollinger, Carlsbad Field Office Manager
Useful Links
Budget
| FY22 Enacted (In the millions) |
FY23 Request (In the millions) |
FY23 Enacted (In the millions) |
FY24 Request (in the millions) |
| $451 | $463 | $467 | $475 |
Another shipment of Transuranic (TRU) waste arrives safely at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico.
WIPP News
VIEW ALL
Members of EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) mine rescue teams recently put their lifesaving skills into action, possibly saving a young woman’s life as they were returning from a mine rescue competition in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
May 16, 2023
Learn More
EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) recently marked a milestone after its drivers exceeded 16 million safe miles without a serious accident or injury, equivalent to 33 roundtrips to the moon or more than 642 trips around the world.
April 25, 2023
Learn More
More than 300 people turned out for a town hall-style event last week focused on national security and environmental cleanup priorities, including EM’s work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.
April 11, 2023
Learn More
Progress continues on a new utility shaft at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as shaft-sinking crews recently surpassed the midway point at 1,076 feet deep.
March 14, 2023
Learn More
A recent double-digit increase of transuranic waste shipments for permanent disposal at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) led to a successful seven-week stretch that has officials at the facility feeling confident.
January 17, 2023
Learn More
EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White and Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Nicole Nelson-Jean last week visited the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), where they received briefings on key projects.
December 13, 2022
Learn More
Both capital projects at EM’s WIPP are making remarkable progress due to a determined, creative workforce that is overcoming the challenges of the multimillion-dollar work so the facility can operate safely and compliantly for decades to come.
December 13, 2022
Learn More
Employees have begun emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste in Panel 8 of EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
November 22, 2022
Learn More
At long last, Panel 7 at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is full.
October 25, 2022
Learn More
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
Learn More