Hanford Nuclear Waste Glassification Facility
Sector: Nuclear • Location: Richland, Washington, United States
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB
The project involves the construction and commissioning of a facility at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington to convert millions of gallons of radioactive waste into glass, a process known as glassification. The facility is designed to treat 20 to 25 million gallons of low-activity radioactive tank wastes by mixing the wastes with glass flakes and melting them together. The project has faced si
- Status
- Planned to start operation, with uncertainty about continuation
- Sector
- Nuclear, Government
- Location
- Richland, Washington, United States of America
- Updated
- 22 Jul 2026
- Source
- Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB
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Project Information
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Sponsoring Agency | |
Company |
Status
Original status | planned to start operation, with uncertainty about continuation |
Taiyo last update | 2026-07-22 |
Contact
| Not available for this record. |
Description
Description | The project involves the construction and commissioning of a facility at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington to convert millions of gallons of radioactive waste into glass, a process known as glassification. The facility is designed to treat 20 to 25 million gallons of low-activity radioactive tank wastes by mixing the wastes with glass flakes and melting them together. The project has faced significant delays and cost overruns, with the first plant originally scheduled to go online in 2009 but now expected to begin operation in October 2025. The cleanup effort is governed by legal agreements and aims to glassify all wastes by 2052, though internal targets have been moved to 2069. There is ongoing debate about the future direction of the project, including potential shifts to alternative methods such as grouting. |
Original sector | Environmental Cleanup |
Budget |
Location
Country | United States of America (USA) |
State | Washington |
City | Richland |
Source
Source | Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB |
URL |
More Details
Record type | Project |
Sector | Nuclear, Government |
Article published date | 2025-09-16 |
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