Hanford
The Hanford site serves as a key piece of the Tri-City economy. Our special coverage takes a closer look at Hanford’s workforce, cleanup efforts and costs, and the status of key projects, including the massive vitrification plant currently under construction at the 586-square-mile site in our backyard.
Methods tested to speed waste withdrawal from tanks
Washington River Protection Solutions is considering cutting new holes in Hanford’s single-shell tanks — openings that could potentially reach up to six feet in diameter. Currently, the holes in the tops of Hanford’s underground tanks are very narrow with extremely long pipes connecting the surface with the radioactive sludge and fluids in the tanks. Collapsible…
Tri-City leaders look to economy after Hanford
Tri-City leaders remain focused on efforts to diversify the economy, create jobs and expand employment sectors beyond Hanford and the roles offered by the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. “TRIDEC has made this a top priority for decades,” said David Reeploeg, vice president of federal programs at the Tri-City Development Council. The effort…
Emptying toxic waste from tanks at Hanford a taxing task
By Arielle Dreher In a way, when it comes to tank waste at the Hanford site, the easy stuff has been done. Toxic liquid waste can be transferred until it’s disposed of with a pump. But what about solid waste? What about a million-gallon tank with solidified toxic waste sitting inside? What about 177 of…
PUREX tunnels stabilized after collapse
By Arielle Dreher Nearly two years after a 20-by-20 foot portion of the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant’s Tunnel 1 caved in, both it and its larger sibling, Tunnel 2, have been stabilized. On May 9, 2017, U.S. Department of Energy workers discovered the 20-foot collapse of Tunnel 1, after noticing a background increase in radiation…
Risks linger with Plutonium Finishing Plant’s demolition
By Arielle Dreher The Plutonium Finishing Plant used to be called the Z Plant when the Hanford nuclear site produced plutonium because it was the end of production of the radioactive material before it was shipped to weapons production facilities. The PFP was a group of 60 buildings, which began operating in 1949, where workers…
Vit plant ramps up for next phase
Round-the-clock staffing is in place at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant as Bechtel National Inc. prepares to process low-activity waste by 2023, but possibly as soon as 2022. There hasn’t been 24/7 staffing at Hanford in more than 20 years. Earlier this year, the analytical laboratory at the plant entered its startup phase,…
Small businesses tap into government work
The U.S. Department of Energy’s prime contractors awarded nearly $785 million in subcontracts in fiscal 2018, a figure representing more than 30 percent of Hanford’s roughly $2.4 billion budget that year, according to a recent Department of Energy report. While most of the prime contractors have aggressive small business subcontracting goals written into their contracts,…
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