August 27, 2015

Review finds problems in Hanford plant design

RICHLAND (AP) — A partial review of an unfinished nuclear waste treatment plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation found 362 vulnerabilities in its design, according to the watchdog group Hanford Challenge, which obtained a leaked copy of the review.

The Tri-City Herald reported Wednesday that the information in the review was a surprise because the U.S. Department of Energy told the state of Washington that there were no major known technical issues remaining for the plant's Low Activity Waste Facility.

Contractor Bechtel National, which is designing and building the plant for the Energy Department, said the review is an example of the oversight that is a standard part of the vitrification plant project.

Hanford, located near Richland, for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons. The site is now engaged in cleaning up the nation's largest collection of nuclear waste.

The $12.3 billion Hanford vitrification plant is designed to turn nuclear waste into a glasslike substance for eventual burial. Work on the plant has stopped while design and safety issues are addressed.

The Low Activity Waste Facility is one of four major buildings being built on the vitrification plant campus. It is expected to start operating in 2022.

Bechtel said it provided the review team with comments on an early version of the report.

The draft contained factual inaccuracies and fewer than 5 percent of the comments were new and none were major, Bechtel said. The issues are being addressed, Bechtel said.

“Unfortunately, today's new details about problems with constructing the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant are not surprising,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. “The safety issues at Hanford, coupled with multiple failed attempts to silence whistleblowers speaking out about concerns at the site, have been ongoing.”

Wyden said the report was released by an employee who was afraid to come forward publicly.