Hanford Site
Dashboard
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Hanford is home to the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, the B Reactor, which produced plutonium during World War II for the world’s first nuclear explosion (the Trinity test) and for the nuclear bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Hanford’s plutonium production mission continued until the late 1980s, ultimately producing 65% of the nation’s stockpile.
Over the course of Hanford operations, 20 million pieces of uranium metal fuel were used in Hanford’s nine nuclear reactors, 110,000 tons of fuel was processed at five large plants, 450 billion gallons of liquids were disposed into the soil, and 53 million gallons of radioactive waste were stored in 177 large underground tanks.
Hanford cleanup began in 1989, when a landmark agreement was reached between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology. Known as the Tri-Party Agreement, the accord established hundreds of milestones for bringing the Hanford site into compliance with federal and state environmental regulations. After over three decades of cleanup, considerable progress has been made at Hanford, reducing the risk the site poses to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.
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Safe, effective and efficient cleanup of the Hanford Site
Policies and funding needed to support Hanford cleanup, including efforts to safely reduce long-term costs (such as grouting some low-activity tank waste)
Removal, to the extent practicable, of waste from underground tanks and close tank farms
Sustained progress in design, engineering, construction, and operation of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP)
Relocation of Cesium and Strontium Capsules to Dry Storage
Continued progress in cleaning up groundwater contamination
Continued progress in remediation of contaminated soil beneath the 324 building
Improved site infrastructure in support of long-term operations
Support for efforts to grow and diversify the local economy, including beneficial reuse of DOE land and facilities
Advocate for fair and equitable Payment in Lieu of Taxes to schools and government entities
Continued growth of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford
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Mission: Hanford Communities coordinates involvement of local governments near the Hanford Site on cleanup-related matters and works to increase public awareness and involvement in Hanford cleanup issues. Board members interact with DOE, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the EPA and others regarding Hanford environmental contamination, remediation, waste management, emergency response, and work force and site transition issues.
Contact: David Reeploeg, Executive Director
Phone: (509) 205-1760
Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC)
Mission: TRIDEC’s mission is to improve the economic health of the Tri-Cities area and serves as the Community Reuse Organization (CRO) for the Hanford Site. To achieve this mission, TRIDEC promotes economic diversification, facilitates job creation and retention, pursues new federal opportunities, and leads the Tri-Cities community on issues of economic importance. TRIDEC has been actively involved in advocating for the policies and funding needed to support Hanford’s missions for over 60 years.
• Contact: David Reeploeg, Vice President for Federal Programs
Email: dreeploeg@tridec.org;
Phone: (509) 205-1760
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Navarro-ATL (HLMI) - Navarro-ATL manages the 222-S Laboratory. The laboratory analyzes Hanford’s tank waste to support safe storage of tank waste, processes, characterization, industrial hygiene monitoring, and the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility as plant transitions to operations.
Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) - Bechtel is managing the design, engineering, and construction of Hanford’s Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant, also known as the Vitrification (or Vit) Plant.
Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure, LLC (H2C) – H2C is responsible for managing Hanford’s tank waste, including retrieval and closure of the legacy waste tanks. H2C will also manage the vitrification of Hanford’s low-activity tank waste following hot commissioning of the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Facility.
Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) - HMIS is responsible for providing Hanford Site services, including adequate and reliable water, power, road maintenance, information technology, safeguards and security, sitewide safety standards, training and countless more integrated services and deliverables across the Hanford Site.
Inomedic Health Applications –IHA is the occupational medical services provider for thousands of federal and contractor employees at the Hanford Site.
Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) - Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is the prime contractor for the safe, environmental cleanup of the Central Plateau and River Corridor at the Hanford Site.
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Federal Government
State Government
Local Government
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David Reeploeg, Executive Director, Hanford Communities
Phone: (509) 205-1760, or (509) 735-1000
Site Details
SITE BUDGET
| FY 2025 Enacted | FY 2026 House | FY 2026 Senate | FY 2026 Request |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,038,975 | 2,878,770 | 3,475,702 | 3,070,941 |
(Defense Environmental Cleanup for Richland and Office of River Protection. Amounts in thousands of dollars. Click here for the latest site budget.)
Ray Geimer
Manager, Hanford Field Office
Nuclear Energy Projects
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HALEU Metallization Pilot Production Facility - Framatome and TerraPower are cooperating to design and develop a high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) metallization pilot plant at Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington. The plant will bolster Framatome's ability to convert uranium oxide (UO2) into HALEU metal, a crucial metal that is used to fabricate fuel for advanced reactors. In addition, the plant will supply metal feedstock and help TerraPower build a domestic HALEU supply chain.
Standard Nuclear-Framatome (SNF) Collaboration - Framatome and Standard Nuclear formed a joint venture to supply commercial quantities of TRISO particles and proprietary advanced nuclear products. SNF plans to begin by producing 2 metric tons of TRISO fuel annually for use in advanced nuclear reactors.
“Project Dune” - The City of Richland, WA has signed a Purchase & Sale Agreement for 425 acres of former Hanford Site land with a company whose name has not yet been made public but is referred to as “Project Dune.” Upon completion, the $3 billion project will produce enriched uranium for advanced nuclear fuel and is projected to create approximately 1,000 jobs.
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Energy Northwest SMR Deployment – Amazon, X-energy and Energy Northwest are partnering to support the development of an advanced reactor near Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station near Richland, WA. This partnership includes commitments from Amazon to provide approximately $334 million in funding for the initial feasibility phase of Energy Northwest’s project, and to make a $500 million direct investment in X-energy. The advanced reactors in development are the Xe-100 model; high temperature gas-cooled reactors developed by X-energy. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity, with up to 12 modules able to be sited together.
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Since 1984, Energy Northwest has operated the Pacific Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor, the 1,207 MW Columbia Generating Station.
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FusionWERX - Avalanche Fusion is developing a fusion test facility in Richland, WA. FusionWERX will serve as a first-of-its-kind commercial-scale testing facility for advanced fusion technologies, offering access to private companies, universities, national laboratories, and public-private consortia working to accelerate the path to commercial fusion power.
Cleanup Issues
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Special Nuclear Materials and Spent Nuclear Fuel
Transuranic and Solid Waste Disposition
Facility Deactivation and Decommissioning
Soil and Groundwater Remediation
Tank Waste
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In March 2024, the Office of Environmental Management released a Strategic Vision for 2024-2034.
Planned Cleanup Scope 2024–2034
The successful launch of one of EM’s largest and most significant cleanup activities — the start of tank waste vitrification at Hanford through the DFLAW program — is expected in 2025. This is a goal EM has been pursuing for more than two decades at Hanford and will address one of the largest environmental challenges in the EM complex.
MAPR
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Nuclear reactors at the Hanford Site produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project to fuel the first atomic test and the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. The story of the Manhattan Project at Hanford encompasses historic facilities such as the B Reactor, and educational centers with the National Park Service, the US Department of Energy and the communities where Hanford workers and their families lived, which are all part of the Tri-Cities region today.
To learn more about Hanford’s role in the Manhattan Project and the modern day National Park, click here.
Updated January 2026.
Information, photos, and videos in this profile are sourced from online resources provided by the DOE, Hanford Communities, and Washington State Department of Ecology.