Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant

A proven technology that has been used at the Savannah River Site[1] and West Valley Demonstration Project, vitrification involves mixing the waste with glass-forming chemicals, heating it to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,149 degrees Celsius), and pouring it into stainless steel containers to solidify.

[4] Prime contractor Bechtel National, Inc., is designing, building, and commissioning the plant with subcontractor AECOM for the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to a 2012 Government Accountability Office report, several technical challenges remained, including how to keep radioactive waste from incurring a criticality accident and exploding before it was vitrified.

[5] As of 2017, the project was undergoing "ongoing" reviews by the Government Accounting Office, Office of Inspector General, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and other agencies, with a re-baselined projected cost of $16.813 billion and completion date in 2023.

[6] In 2019, the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board concurred with the Department of Energy that the technical challenges had been resolved.