Mining of the eighth panel at the US Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has been completed, seven years after work began. Emplacement of transuranic waste in the newly mined panel is expected to begin in April 2022.

The Oceanic Pintail purpose-built nuclear transport ship, which was decommissioned in November 2020 after 33 years of service, has now been fully recycled, Nuclear Transport Solutions announced today. Its contractor - Dales Marine Services - had been set the target that 98% of the vessel be recycled.

A unique transport vehicle with integrated packaging for solid medium and high-level waste has been developed by Equans Specialized Nuclear Services on behalf of Ondraf/Niras, the Belgian agency for the management of radioactive waste. The vehicle has undergone testing and is expected to be put into service by the end of this year.

The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority has published a report on ways to inform future generations where radioactive waste has been disposed of and how it should be handled. The report was commissioned by the government to examine different methods for how information and knowledge about the final repository for used nuclear fuel can be secured over a long period of time.

Congress needs to take action to break the impasse over a permanent solution for commercial used nuclear fuel, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office. The report identifies four matters for congressional consideration - including amending legislation to authorise a new consent-based siting process and restructuring the Nuclear Waste Fund - and recommends that the Department of Energy finalise its consent-based siting process.

A renewed call has been made for additional donor funding in order to tackle the most urgent problems caused by radioactive and toxic waste at legacy uranium sites in Central Asia, with the International Atomic Energy Agency estimating an additional EUR40 million (USD47 million) is required. The call came as all parties directly involved in the project signed a revised Strategic Master Plan.

The former salt mine in Gorleben, Lower Saxony - previously considered a possible site for geological disposal of Germany's high-level radioactive waste - has officially closed, it was announced on 17 September. The site was excluded from a list of potential repository sites published last year by waste management organisation Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung.

Australian welding technology specialist K-TIG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK's Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to develop innovative automated fabrication techniques for decommissioning waste containers. Under the MoU, K-TIG will work with the Nuclear AMRC to design, develop and supply the robotic welding cell to be used in the fabrication of the 3-cubic-metre stainless steel boxes to be used to safely store the UK's decommissioning waste.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a licence to Interim Storage Partners LLC to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility for used nuclear fuel in Andrews, Texas. Interim Storage Partners is a joint venture of Waste Control Specialists LLC and Orano USA.

Processing radioactive waste or used fuel from other countries has been banned in Slovakia, after a parliamentary resolution yesterday. The move will force the closure of a business unit of JAVYS, potentially leading to job losses once ongoing work is completed.

The opening plenary session of Italy's National Seminar, which aims at deepening the analysis of the technical aspects related to the national repository for radioactive waste and technological park project with all interested parties, was held yesterday. The National Seminar, a series of consultative meetings, follows the publication in January of a list of 67 potential sites for a radioactive waste storage facility.

The Swedish government's decision to approve an expansion of the existing Clab interim repository for used fuel while continuing to consider the application for a final repository has "created uncertainties in the legal procedure for obtaining final decisions on the storage of nuclear fuel," Vattenfall has said. The utility warned the decision has made it more likely that units 2 and 3 of its Forsmark nuclear power plant may have to shut down in 2024 and 2025.