SRS fills first mega-volume disposal unit with grout

[Marlin]

SRS fills first mega-volume disposal unit with grout

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-10-20/article-8503/srs-fills-first-megavolume-disposal-unit-with-grout/

[Core Content]

The Department of Energy announced that Saltstone Disposal Unit 6 at the Savannah River Site has been completely filled with grouted low-level waste. The 33-million-gallon structure is the first mega-volume disposal unit to reach capacity since accepting its initial shipment in 2018. This milestone supports ongoing cleanup operations for legacy waste stored in carbon-steel tanks at the South Carolina facility.

Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 6, the first of seven mega-volume disposal units built at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C., has been filled with grouted legacy tank waste, according to the Department of Energy.

Last week's announcement from the DOE marked a milestone in efforts to clean up nuclear waste that for decades had been stored underground in 51 carbon-steel tanks at the site. SDU 6, which accepted its first shipment of waste material in 2018, is the first of the mega-volume units approved in 2012 to fill completely.

Another mega-volume unit, SDU 7, was listed as operational on the DOE's website as of May 2026.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-10-20/article-8503/srs-fills-first-megavolume-disposal-unit-with-grout/