Hanford Gets Permit to Vitrify Nuclear Waste
Washington state regulators this week issued the final permit allowing the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to begin expanded vitrification operations — mixing highly radioactive tank waste with additives, heating it above 2,000°F and solidifying it into stable glass — a major regulatory milestone in cleaning up the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site near the Columbia River. The decision lets workers remove more waste from aging, often‑leaky underground tanks (177 tanks holding roughly 56 million gallons) and process it at the long‑under‑construction Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, advancing a cleanup program with about a $3 billion annual budget.
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Energy
🔍 Key Facts
- State regulators issued the final permit on Wednesday (reported Oct. 2, 2025) allowing expanded vitrification at Hanford
- Hanford contains 177 underground tanks holding approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste; three tanks have leaked
- Vitrification heats the waste above 2,000°F (1,000°C) to form stable glass in stainless‑steel vats; the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant construction began in 2002 and Hanford cleanup runs about $3 billion per year