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Underground Nuclear Waste Storage Plant In Southeastern NM Takes First Large Shipment In Six Years

Department of Energy

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP)- The U.S. government's only underground nuclear waste repository has taken in its first large shipment in six years, following a process that involved recertification and retraining of workers.

The shipment using a special large cask came from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina and included contaminated glove boxes and other large-scale analytical equipment.

Officials say the large casks are 14 feet long and weigh about 50,000 pounds. That's more than double the weight of the containers that typically are used to ship waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern New Mexico.