In 2022, the 105 K East Reactor successfully entered ISS, using a comprehensive steel enclosure instead of a new roof around the reactor building. A similar enclosure is planned for the last remaining reactor, the K West Reactor, which is expected to enter ISS by 2030. Once this milestone is achieved, the K West Reactor will join the seven other cocooned reactors in the Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) program, where routine inspections every 5-10 years will ensure there is no deterioration of the reactors or the surrounding environment.

Today, the Department of Energy’s mission is particularly focused on completing the remediation of waste sites in the 100 K Area. This includes the deactivation, draining, and demolition of the 1.2-million-gallon K West Basin, along with other related structures. In 2019, DOE successfully removed radioactive sludge from the K West Basin. Efforts are now underway to sort and stage debris from the K West Basin in preparation for its deactivation and eventual demolition.