West Valley Reprocessing Plant

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West Valley Reprocessing Plant is a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at West Valley, New York, USA, was operated successfully from 1966-72. During this time period, 660,000 gallons of highly radioactive waste accumulated in an underground waste tank. Escalating regulation required plant modifications which were deemed uneconomic, and the plant was shut down.

[edit] History

In 1961 the state of New York acquired 3,345 acres (14 km²) of land in the town of Ashford, New York, near West Valley, for the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC). The next year Davison Chemical Company established Nuclear Fuels Services, Inc. (NFS) as a reprocessing company, and leased the WNYNSC.

NFS developed 200 acres (809,000 m²) of the land and operated a nuclear fuel reprocessing center from 1966 to 1972. 640 metric tons of spent reactor fuel were processed, with a plant capacity of 300 tons per year. The plant accepted radioactive waste for disposal until 1975.

During the operation of the plant 660,000 US gallons (2,500 m³) of highly radioactive liquid waste were generated. The liquid waste was stored in an underground waste tank. NFS also used a 15 acre (61,000 m²) area for the disposal of radioactive waste from commercial waste generators, and another seven acre (28,000 m²) landfill to dispose of radioactive waste generated from reprocessing.

In 1976 NFS decided the costs and regulatory requirements of reprocessing made the venture impractical. The company left the site after its lease expired on December 31, 1980, transferring ownership and responsibility for the waste and facility to the state of New York.

On October 1, 1980 the West Valley Demonstration Project Act, Public Law 96-368, was signed directing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to take the lead role in solidifying the liquid high-level waste and decontaminating and decommissioning the facilities at West Valley. In 1982 The Department of Energy selected West Valley Nuclear Services (WVNS), a Westinghouse subsidiary, to manage and operate the site. Control of the 200 acre (809,000 m²) developed site is turned over to DOE; the project is named the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The next year vitrification, or the incorporation of high-level radioactive waste into glass, was selected as the preferred method for solidifying the waste NFS left at West Valley.

In 1987 The decision to dispose of low-level waste at the WVDP lead to a legal disagreement between DOE and the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes. The disagreement was settled by a Stipulation of Compromise, which stated low-level waste disposal at the site and the potential effects of erosion on the site be included in a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Project completion.

In 1996 Radioactive vitrification began. The highly successful operation continued into 2001, emptying the high-level waste tank and producing 251 10 ft (3 m) foot-tall stainless steel canisters of hardened radioactive glass.

In 1999 Vitrification Expended Materials Processing (VEMP) was initiated to begin processing unserviceable equipment in the Vitrification Facility. VEMP’s success helped in the development of a Remote Handled Waste Facility (RHWF) to process large-scale, highly-contaminated equipment excessed during decontamination and decommissioning activities. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the RHWF were held in 2000, with operation expected in 2004.