BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration has slated a second virtual public information session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thurday, Nov. 5 on the process of venting four Flanged Tritium Waste Containers (FTWCs) at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Technical difficulties at a previous virtual public information session Oct. 20 attended by 150 people drew criticism from participants and demands for a second session. (See previous story: https://losalamosreporter.com/2020/10/21/technical-issues-plague-doe-virtual-public-information-meeting-on-tritium-venting-project-attended-by-150/

DOE describes FTWCs as pressure vessels specifically designed to contain waste metal that has been exposed to tritium. The tritium separates into helium and hydrogen as it ages and can create pressure inside the containers. The plan is to vent any pressurized gases inside the containers onsite at LANL so that they can be shipped to an offsite licensed waste storage facility.

DOE has now published a FTWCs factsheet and PowerPoint presentation about the project on the LANL FTWCs webpage. 

To register for the public information session, visit LANL FTWCs webpage.

DOE issued the following information on the WebEx Event:

“The public information session will be hosted via WebEx Events, a different platform than the first session in an effort to accommodate the overwhelming public interest in this matter. The WebEx Event meeting password is vG9Rbr3m3f4. Those who do not have internet access may call in by phone at 415-655-0001, access code 173 622 0434. If joining by phone, the meeting password is 84972736.“