Experience From the Transportation and Disposal of Transuranic Waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility located in southeastern New Mexico, 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. The facility is the nation’s first geological repository for the permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated from defense-related activities at various DOE sites. The U.S. Congress authorized the development of WIPP in 1980 to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste resulting from defense programs of the United States, including weapons production and research and development. Currently, TRU waste is generated and/or stored at ten major DOE sites across the country.