The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Field Office and contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure are about to mark a turning point in retrieval activities by removing radioactive and chemical waste from the 25th underground storage tank.
Office of Environmental Management
September 29, 2026
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Decades-old waste inside Tank A-103 at the Hanford Site is being pumped out to a newer tank with a second steel liner for leak protection.
RICHLAND, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Field Office and contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure are about to mark a turning point in retrieval activities by removing radioactive and chemical waste from the 25th underground storage tank.
“Every success we achieve in tank retrieval is more than a technical accomplishment — it’s a meaningful step toward reducing long-term environmental risk at Hanford,” said Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer.
Tank A-103 in the 200 East Area holds approximately 385,000 gallons of decades-old waste. The contractor will use water to dissolve the primarily salt-based waste, then pump it out of the older, single-steel lined tank to a newer tank with a second steel liner for leak protection. Once retrieval and regulatory paperwork is complete, this tank will check off another Tri-Party Agreement milestone.
A-103 retrieval activities will operate in several phases into 2027 as space in the double-shell tank system allows. DOE’s science-backed glass-plus-grout strategy supports the ability to continue retrieving waste from the tanks. With glass and grout working together, Hanford can solidify 3-4 million gallons of tank waste per year, avoid downtime when it comes to retrievals and tank side treatment, and accelerate completion of 200 East Area tank waste by 12 years — from 2051 to 2039 — saving taxpayers about $12 billion.
A Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure crew recently performed work on the hydraulic power unit for Tank A-103’s high-pressure spray nozzles to prepare for starting retrieval operations.
Once done with A-103, work will pivot to the 200 West Area, starting retrieval operations in the first West Area single-shell tank by 2030 and completing 22 tanks by 2040 using a grout approach agreed to by the state of Washington.
“Our crews continue to demonstrate professionalism, innovation and an unwavering commitment to safety as they advance this mission,” said Ken Langdon, Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure president and program manager. “Their work creates real momentum, keeping us on track for a cleaner, safer future for the region.”
Hanford produced 74 tons of plutonium for the country’s nuclear weapons program from 1944 to 1989. Crews built thick, reinforced concrete tanks lined with steel to store the radioactive and chemical byproducts, and buried the tanks under several feet of soil to shield workers from radiation. When production stopped at the end of the Cold War, 56 million gallons of waste were stored in 177 large tanks.
To date, about 3.5 million gallons of waste have been removed from 24 single-shell tanks, including all of the C and AX farms. A Farm is the site’s third tank grouping to undergo retrieval operations.
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