NUCLEAR WASTE: Process to Remove Radioactive Waste From Savannah River Tanks Fails to Work

摘要

The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for cleaning up the nuclear waste legacy created by over 50 years of producing nuclear weapons material. At DOE's Savannah River Site in South Carolina, 34 million gallons of liquids that contain highly radioactive waste (high-level waste) have accumulated in the storage tanks since the site became operational in 1951. The in-tank precipitation (ITP) process was selected in 1983 as the preferred method for separating the high-level waste from the liquid. This report (1) examines the factors causing the project's delays and cost growth, (2) identifies the effect of the ITP project's suspension on the Savannah River Site's cleanup plans and costs, and (3) provides information on DOE's plans for developing an alternative technology for separating high-level waste from the liquid.