Plans to Transport Uranium for Safe Disposal Proceed
The DOE awaits approval to transport radioactive uranium for proper disposal in Nevada.
According to the Department of Energy, shipments of radioactive uranium will begin arriving in Nevada this year. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory will receive shipments as soon as pending plans are approved.
This is part of the Consolidated Edison Uranium Solidification Project, an effort to dispose of stockpiled reactor fuel. The project, started in the 1980s, stores radioactive material in canisters. These canisters act as a shield for radiation, reducing level by about half.
The containers are then buried more than 40 feet under the ground, a depth that protects uranium from usage and people from harmful radiation.