Hanford To ‘Test’ Shipping Some Waste to Texas Facility

According to information released by DOE Hanford officials this week, the go-ahead has been given to perform the final stages of what's called the Test Bed Initiative, or TBI.

   What is the TBI, and where is the waste going?

A number of years ago, officials began to consider the treatment and transport of what is considered Low Level Waste (LLW) from some of the 177 Hanford waste tanks left over from the Manhattan Project, and further nuclear development. Some of the waste could be sent to Texas.

Much of the reason for the proposal is that Hanford does not have a permitted disposal facility to store waste treated other than by the vitrification process.

According to DOE:

"Once treated, it contains the same constituents as low level radioactive waste (LLW), and would be similar to LLW managed at Hanford, other DOE sites, and commercially-generated LLW regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The TBI will use existing processes and commercial facilities to immobilize the treated Hanford tank waste in a solid form which will then be disposed of at Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS) in Andrews, Texas."

In 2018, DOE began to prepare a 2,000 gallon shipment of the waste for treatment and shipping, and this week, final preparations have been made. Treatment operations will continue through the end of this year. The state of Texas recently modified requirements to allow them to accept larger amounts of low-level waste, which is where this will be sent.

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  A 2017 test using 3 gallons as a test run showed the technology would work. DOE says much of the reason they are exploring theTexas option is the affordability:

According to DOE, when asked why Texas:

"In order to achieve the best value for the taxpayer, DOE is evaluating potential disposal options, including existing commercial disposal options, such as those available at the WCS FWF in Texas. Waste that meets the WCS FWF waste acceptance criteria can safely and efficiently be disposed of at the WCS FWF, which provides an existing permitted and licensed facility."

DOE says the 2,000-gallon shipment test is a one-time event, further, such treatments and shipments would require additional study and permitting.