Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

James Mason�Institutional Affairs Program Manager

Carlsbad Field Office�

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Mission

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To provide safe and compliant characterization, transportation, and disposal of the United States’ defense transuranic (TRU) waste while protecting workers, the public and the environment.

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WIPP TRU Waste Disposal

• WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA)
• Defense generated transuranic waste
• Must meet WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria
• WIPP transuranic waste capacity 6.2M ft³
• Current volume capacity filled = 2.7M ft³ (~45%)

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Waste drums safely emplaced in a WIPP underground repository room

Waste Emplacement Update

432 waste shipments received in FY2025

Current status:

• Emplacing waste in Panel Eight, Room 3
• 29,226 containers in Panel Eight

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Prepping the West Mains & Panel 11

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Overall Mission Accomplishments

• Total shipments: 14,704
• FY26 shipments received: 103
• Total loaded miles: 17,634,953
• Total miles driven: 35,269,906

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Infrastructure Investments

Projects will:

• Provide full ventilation flow rate to the underground repository
• Improve reliability
• Enhance worker safety
• Minor Construction Projects (MCP) support the Underground Ventilation System (UVS) & Utility Shaft (US) completion

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New Utility Shaft

UVS Salt Reduction Building

UVS New Filter Building

Underground Ventilation System (UVS) Project Overview

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The UVS project will provide a safety significant confinement ventilation system that can be operated in a HEPA-filtered mode or an unfiltered mode of operation with two buildings, New Filter Building (NFB) and the Salt Reduction Building (SRB).�

NFB

• 22 HEPA Filters
• Six Induced Draft Fans
• Six Variable Frequency Drive
• 540,000 CFM�

SRB

• Six De-dusters and De-misters
• Two Brine Water Storage 80,000 Tanks

Underground Ventilation System (UVS)

Progress

• Operations 90-day run – Complete
• Management Self Assessment Phase 1 – Complete
• Management Self Assessment Phase 2 – Complete
• Contractor Readiness Assessment – Complete
• Wye connection – Complete
• System brought online – Complete

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Increasing airflow to the underground up to 540,000 cubic feet per minute

Completed exhaust shaft ductwork and support structure taking air to the new UVS.

Utility Shaft (US) Project Overview�

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Questions