The deadline for the U.S. Dept. of Energy to begin getting rid of long-stored radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear site by starting up a a $17-billion treatment facility has been extended until 2025 by a federal judge. DOE officials say, however, that they remain focused on turning low-level nuclear waste into vitrified glass by the end of next year for long term storage.
In 2020, a judge-directed consent decree was amended to require DOE to start treating waste at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant by the end of 2023. That extension was due to changes in workforce levels at the plant from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. An updated filing now defines the lost time, with the judge adding 579 days to the deadline that pushes mandated operation to August 2025. The Washington State Dept. of Ecology has agreed to the new date.