The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant – A First-and-Only-of-Its-Kind-Facility for Safe Deep Geological Disposal of Long-Lived Radioactive Waste with A Broad Range of Opportunities for International Collaborations

摘要

The United States (U.S.) Department ofrnEnergy (USDOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) isrnresponsible for the development and implementationrnof a national program for safe transportation andrndisposal of the transuranic radioactive wastern(TRUW)a generated by the U.S. nuclear weaponsrncomplex (NWC). By mid May 2002, 820 shipments ofrncontact-handled (CH)a TRUW had been safelyrntransported by truck from five of the nation’s 23rnTRUW storage and generator sites at a rate of up torn25 shipments per week and safely disposed in therndeep geological repository located at the WasternIsolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in New Mexico.rnBased on the favorably experience gained to date onrnsafely transporting TRUW by trucks across therncountry and then safely disposing it at the WIPP site,rnthe CBFO is pursuing an even greater increase inrnweekly CH-TRUW shipments. This increase willrnsignificantly accelerate the environmental cleanuprnand closure of the nation’s TRUW generator andrnstorage sites, which, in turn, will reduce the nationalrnrisk posed by and the cost/mortgage for maintainingrnstrict safeguards for the TRUW stored at these sites.The continued safe operation of the WIPP repositoryrnis governed by the CBFO being able to successfullyrndemonstrate to the U.S. Environmental ProtectionrnAgency (USEPA), at least every five years from thernMarch 1999 opening of the WIPP repository, that itrnis safe to both current and future generations andrnenvironments. To ensure that all relevant safety andrnsafeguard measures are considered and implementedrnin pending WIPP recertification applications, thernCBFO maintains an active R&D program, includingrncollaborations with other national and internationalrnradioactive waste management organizations. Forrnexample, the WIPP site, which also hosts anrnunderground experimental area, was selected in 2001rnby the International Atomic Energy (IAEA) as one ofrnthe underground research facilities (URFs) in thernIAEA “Network of Centers of Excellence on Trainingrnin and Demonstration of Waste DisposalrnTechnologies in URFs” (the TDW Network). WIPPrnis therefore available to IAEA Member States forrnstaff training and joint research and developmentrn(R&D). Collaborations with the CBFO and its mainrncontractors also offer access to the extensive WIPPrndatabase and state-of-the-art laboratory and fieldrntest programs, codes, models, and a broad range ofrnlessons learned during the siting, development,rncertification, and operation of the WIPP repository.rnIn summation, the WIPP repository is a globally,rnfirst-and-only-of its-kind facility that enhances thernglobal nuclear safety culture by: (1) providing arnnational solution to the TRUW legacy; (2) serving asrnthe proof-of-principle for safe transportation andrnsafe deep geological disposal of long-livedrnradioactive wastes and materials (LLRMs); and (3)rnproviding opportunities for other waste managementrnorganizations to timely and cost-effectively access thernexperience vested in and the facilities managed byrnthe CBFO and its main contractors.