Washington Begins Transfer of Radioactive Capsules at Hanford Along the Columbia River After Years of Delays
The State of Washington’s Department of Ecology successfully moved the first batch of highly radioactive capsules from underwater pools to safer, long-term dry storage at the Hanford Site last week.
Washington State Moves Nuclear Waste To Safer Hanford Site
To reduce one of Hanford’s biggest environmental risks, radioactive cesium and strontium capsules were moved to safer dry storage out of the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility at the Hanford Site.
Cesium and strontium were stored underwater in capsules at the facility, where water pools provided radioactive shielding and helped remove heat generated by the capsules. But these capsules pose a significant risk if an earthquake or another event ruptures the aging facility’s water basin.
The federal Department of Energy decided to move these capsules to dry storage to reduce this risk.
Source: Washington State Department of Ecology news release on first capsule transfer to dry storage at Hanford (Jan 2026)
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Under the lead regulator, the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology, the Department of Energy began filling the first cask with the capsules in November. The first transfer was completed last week.
The capsules will be loaded into 18 specially designed casks, placed in permitted outdoor storage onsite, and connected to temperature sensors. These casks provide both passive cooling for the capsules and robust shielding to protect workers and the environment.
The Department of Energy must move all capsules to dry storage by Sept. 30, 2029, under the Tri-Party Agreement.
| Item | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Original milestone due | Aug 31 2025 | Planned completion date for moving all capsules out of pool storage |
| Extension approved | Apr 25 2025 | Change Control Form approved extending the milestone |
| Revised deadline | Sept 30 2029 | New legally binding completion date under the Tri Party Agreement |
The facility that has housed those capsules will ultimately be deactivated and demolished as cleanup continues.
Over the next several years, a total of 1,936 cesium and strontium capsules, making up about one-third of the total radioactivity at Hanford, will be moved into these concrete casks and placed in outdoor storage.
Source: Northwest Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board cesium and strontium capsule fact sheet (Jun 2020) and Hanford.gov WESF overview
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The agency indicated that each cask will take about two months to fill and transfer to the storage pad, where they will remain until the radiation has decayed to safer levels and a final disposal plan is determined.
The Hanford Site’s cesium and strontium capsule transfer project has faced repeated delays and cost overruns since the 2010s, initially targeted for completion by 2025 but pushed back multiple times due to technical challenges, funding issues, and regulatory hurdles, with the complete transition now slated for 2029.
Hanford Moving Of Stored Radioactive Waste Delayed To 2029
Initially scheduled for completion by 2025, the Hanford site’s cesium and strontium capsule transfer project has faced repeated delays and cost overruns since the 2010s.
In 2021, the Department of Energy indicated that the dry-storage area for radioactive capsules at Hanford was nearly complete.
This date has been pushed back multiple times due to technical challenges, funding issues, and regulatory hurdles.
The tri-party agreement between the Washington State Department of Ecology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Energy states that energy must move all capsules to dry storage by Sept. 30, 2029.