Work scales up at Hanford waste plant

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Story Published: Sep 19, 2007 at 11:44 AM PDT

By Associated Press

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - Construction on a massive nuclear waste treatment plant at the Hanford nuclear reservation is ramping up again.

U.S. Department of Energy spokesman Erik Olds says over 500 workers are at the south-central Washington site to build the plant, and more are expected soon.

The $12.2 billion vitrification plant is the cornerstone of Hanford cleanup. It will convert highly toxic radioactive waste to glasslike logs for long-term storage.

Workers have encountered seismic concerns and construction problems, stalling work on the plant's pretreatment and high-level waste buildings for nearly two years.

State and federal officials are negotiating new cleanup deadlines for the plant, which is eight years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.

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