Salt Waste Plant Gets Okay Near Augusta

The U.S. Department of Energy says construction can begin on a new plant near Augusta that will process radioactive materials for disposal.

The plant will process about 33 million gallons of the waste at the Savannah River Site. The waste has resulted from plutonium production by the federal government since the 1950s. Much of the waste is stored in tanks in the form of salt cakes. After the cakes are liquefied, the plant will separate highly radioactive isotopes from lesser radioactive materials.

The highly radioactive materials will be turned into glass and stored at the Savannah River Site until a permanent disposal site is opened, presumably at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

The low level waste will be converted into a concrete grout mixture, which will be placed in vaults and also stored at the Savannah River Site.

Officials at the Savannah River Site expect the $1.34 billion plant to be online by 2013.

Preliminary site preparation has already begun. The DOE's decision is the final stage of the construction approval process.

The Savannah River Site is a massive federal entity that processes nuclear materials.