Salt Pocket Improvement at WIPP Completed

CARLSBAD, N.M. September 23, 2025 — A critical piece of underground infrastructure at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is back in operation after a major renovation.

WIPP’s salt hoist is the lone way to get mined salt out of the underground and onto the surface where it is taken to the salt stockpiles. Excess salt is created when the salt beds are cut to make new disposal rooms and that salt is collected in the salt pocket. Over time, the walls of the salt pocket, which extends 55 feet below the surface, naturally compresses, or “creeps” and must be recut to its original diameter. Completion of the $15 million project allows WIPP to resume mining in Panel 11, the next waste emplacement panel. Mining cannot be completed without having a holding area for the salt that is removed during the mining process.

WIPP, the nation’s only repository for defense-related transuranic waste, emplaces waste 2,150 feet underground in rooms mined from a thick layer of salt from what was once an inland sea. Transuranic waste is comprised of debris, residues, soil, and other items contaminated with radioactive elements that have atomic numbers greater than uranium.

“The salt pocket is critical to our continued success as we safely dispose of the nation’s defense-related transuranic waste,” said EM Carlsbad Field Office Manager Mark Bollinger. “Investing in this project ensures that we efficiently manage facility operations into the future.”

The work is part of EM’s ongoing effort to upgrade WIPP’s infrastructure to ensure the facility remains ready to support its vital national security and environmental cleanup missions. During the refurbishment project, worker safety was a constant priority and WIPP has been able to effectively manage the operations without significant impact on the overall mission.

In operating the WIPP, infrastructure needs are continuously evaluated to ensure that the facility remains safe, efficient, and capable of meeting regulatory, operational, and mission requirements. Ongoing evaluations allow us to recognize necessary upgrades or improvements that support long-term waste disposal while protecting workers, the public and the environment.