Although they are nearly at the final depth, the work thus far has been primarily to construct the 4-km long access tunnel. The facility is not scheduled to accept the nuclear waste until 2020 but once it does, it will have enough space for about 7 reactor’s worth of spent fuel for 100-years of their operation. That would put final sealing of the facility in 2120. One interesting thing that caught my attention is that according to Posiva, the agency responsible for facility, after 500 years the radiation dose standing next to one of the canisters would be equivalent to a CAT Scan. [Source: hs.fi via Ontario-geofish]
Miscellaneous
Arizona Geologic Survey Releases Preliminary Report on Carbon Sequestration Potential
Carbon sequestration is a hot topic these days, and the Arizona Geologic Survey (AZGS) is working with a consortium of public and private agencies and non-profits to evaluate the potential of CO2 storage in Cenozoic […]
Geophysics
Hanford nuclear waste retrieval resumes with better technology (GPR)
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) imaging of the subsurface tied to GPS mapping will allow the CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company to have a better idea of what is buried at the site before excavating for […]
Press Releases
Grouting project to protect Snake River Plain Aquifer completed ahead of schedule
September 29, 2010 — The Idaho Cleanup Project safely completed a remedial action five weeks ahead of schedule that protects the Snake River Plain Aquifer by grouting buried waste at the U.S. Department of Energy’s […]