After 17-year, $17B saga, Bechtel's recast waste glassification megaproject at U.S. Hanford site readies for first startup, but unresolved issues remain.
Five of the major support buildings for the Hanford Nuclear Waste Site's Vit Plant have moved beyond construction, startup and testing to commissioning.
Many previously identified problems continue to plague the complex waste treatment plant being built to immobilize much of the 54 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored at the U.S. Energy Dept.’s Hanford site in Washington state, prompting government investigators to recommend stopping work on the $17-billion project, underway since 2002, when those problems recur.