Mar. 6 at 12:07 PM
$PESI DOE-EM officials told the GAO that the cost increases were already known to the office and accounted for in previous life-cycle cost estimates. As of May 2025, DOE-EM estimated that the remaining cleanup work at its 15 sites would cost more than
$500 billion.
Potential cost savings: Despite the considerable remaining cleanup costs, the GAO identified ways DOE-EM could realize significant savings, including the following:
$18 billion from grouting closed tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
Up to
$210 billion by optimizing low-activity waste treatment at Hanford.
“Tens of billions” in additional savings by optimizing high-level waste treatment at Hanford.
$700 million by optimizing transuranic waste shipments. https://www.ans.org/news/2026-03-05/article-7820/doe-nuclear-cleanup-costs-schedule-delays-continue-to-rise-gao-says/
