DOE Could Mull Alternative Treatment Options for Idaho Waste

Depending on the results of a forthcoming month-long simulation test, the Energy Department will decide whether to change the planned course for disposing of some 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive waste stored in Idaho. “Once the simulant run is complete the Department will evaluate plant performance and use that information to determine if an alternative treatment option or modifications to the current process are necessary,” DOE Office of Environmental Management spokeswoman Catherine Hampton said in an email yesterday. Workers on Nov. 7 started heating up “key equipment” of the Idaho Integrated Waste Treatment Unit, Hampton said, which is DOE’s official plan to dispose of the waste. Once a steady heat-up progression is achieved, simulant addition will follow, she said.

 

DOE had hoped to start processing waste at IWTU by the end of last month, but now the plant almost certainly won’t start up until December at the earliest.