The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management successfully completed its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic radioactive waste for disposal from the Savannah River Site using new shipping packages.
Office of Environmental Management
September 8, 2026
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A Savannah River Site shipment heads to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant as part of the site’s ongoing transuranic waste disposition mission.
AIKEN, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) successfully completed its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic radioactive waste for disposal from the Savannah River Site (SRS) using new shipping packages.
The recent achievement marks the site’s ongoing commitment to safe and efficient disposal of legacy transuranic waste at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico using the latest advancements in waste packaging and transportation.
WIPP manages two primary types of transuranic waste. Contact-handled waste has lower radiation levels, allowing workers to handle the containers using standard safety measures. Remote-handled waste has higher radiation levels that require specialized shielding and equipment for safe transport and disposal.
For the latest achievement, SRS crews loaded the remote-handled waste in heavy-duty steel containers lined with lead, slightly larger than 55-gallon drums. They placed the containers in a shipping cask that can accommodate waste packages with higher radiation levels.
“This achievement reflects the dedication and expertise of our team,” said Anthony Carraway, Solid Waste and Deactivation Facility manager with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the managing and operating contractor at SRS. “Successfully resuming remote-handled shipments and deploying improved packaging like the shielded container assemblies demonstrates our focus on safety, innovation and continuous improvement to address the nation’s legacy waste challenges.”
Savannah River Site and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant crew members stand in front of the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment truck, highlighting the teamwork that supports continued progress in waste disposition.
Successfully completing the remote-handled waste shipments required extensive collaboration between WIPP and SRS, intensive packaging modifications by the SRS team and a full year of meticulous planning to ensure employee safety and minimization of radiation exposure.
“Our journey with remote-handled transuranic waste shipments began in 2009, and every step since has reflected our commitment to the safe and efficient management of legacy transuranic waste,” said Kerri Crawford, SRNS Solid Waste Programs manager. “Completing the first remote-handled shipment from SRS in over a decade is a significant accomplishment for our team and the site. We greatly appreciate the partnership and support from WIPP throughout this process.”
SRS crews have loaded 19 more remote-handled transuranic waste drums into heavy-duty shielded containers for shipment. In total, approximately 150 remote-handled transuranic waste drums are being prepared for shipment.
Looking ahead, SRS will receive 50 additional heavy-duty shielded containers for the remote-handled waste in the near future.
As of last month, WIPP has received over 1,860 shipments of transuranic waste from SRS.
WIPP is the nation’s only deep geologic repository for permanent disposal of transuranic waste, safely isolating radioactive materials deep underground to protect people and the environment.
-Contributor: Aunarey Herbert
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