The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has announced that its Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) recently received department approval for the conceptual design for a spent nuclear fuel staging facility project at Idaho National Laboratory.

Heavy metal rods are placed into large stainless steel TRIGA spent fuel canisters to test their load-bearing capabilities. (Photo: DOE)

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management announced last week that it is preparing to receive a shipment of spent nuclear fuel from Penn State University’s research reactor. The fuel is being shipped to Idaho National Laboratory for research purposes.

DOE-EM said crews with the Idaho Cleanup Project recently fabricated and tested four stainless steel canisters that will be used to receive and store the used TRIGA fuel. (“TRIGA” stands for “Training, Research, Isotope, General Atomics.”)

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management said the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) has recycled more than 2,100 tons of noncontaminated metal debris since 2022 as it works to demolish three legacy Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program prototypes at the Idaho National Laboratory Site, saving taxpayers nearly $2 million in disposal costs while advancing the project’s environmental goals.

Demonstrating the beneficial reuse of equipment among Department of Energy cleanup sites, the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management transferred TRUPACT-III shipping equipment from its Savannah River Site in South Carolina to the Idaho Cleanup Project at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. This collaboration shows how DOE-EM drives efficiency, focusing on priorities and reining in costs without sacrificing safety or effectiveness, the DOE said.

New ultrasonic testing equipment being used by the Department of Energy’s Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) to confirm the integrity of thousands of legacy waste drums is saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced.

The technology allows ICP personnel to inspect the thickness transuranic waste drums held in storage at the DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory Site, ensuring they meet Department of Transportation minimum thickness requirements to be shipped for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. According to DOE-EM, if drums meet the DOT thickness requirements, they can be loaded directly into shipping casks without the need for an expensive overpack container, leading to a minimum cost savings of $26 million.