Renewable energy at nuclear waste site near Carlsbad? Here's how you can comment
A nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad could be used to generate "clean energy" as federal official sought input from the public for the project.
It’s part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Cleanup to Clean Energy” initiative that saw the agency’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) declare 72,000 acres at five sites as potentially available for development.
Here’s what to know about the project, and how to comment.
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What is the DOE proposing?
The sites of potential clean energy projects included the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, Idaho National Laboratory, the Nevada National Security Site and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
On Tuesday, the DOE released a request for information (RFI) looking for industry partners to use 9,000 acres of WIPP’s available land for the projects.
What kinds of projects are being considered?
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The RFI was available to companies, government agencies and locals for comment on the idea. The DOE said it was targeting carbon-free electricity (CFE) generation or storage projects.
An information day was scheduled for March, the DOE said, and was intended to include those from the nuclear energy, wind, solar or geothermal sectors which the DOE considered as CFE sources of energy.
Projects considered in the proposal would need to be utility-scale with capacities of 200 megawatts or higher.
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Why is the DOE looking to use WIPP for clean energy?
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on July 28, 2023 announced the agency-wide initiative to use “underutilized land” for the development, following President Joe Biden’s executive order Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability that called on federal agencies to prioritized new sources of power to reduce pollution from fossil fuels.
The DOE said cities near WIPP – Carlsbad, Loving and Hobbs – in Eddy and Lea counties were “well-suited” to support the federal goal of increasing CFE in the U.S.
Where exactly is WIPP?
The WIPP site is located in Eddy County, about 26 miles east of Carlsbad and 18 miles northeast of Loving, off of U.S. Highway 62.
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It is 12 miles from the Pecos River at its nearest point, 42 miles from the Guadalupe Mountains, 40 miles from Carlsbad Caverns National Park and 70 miles from Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.
What does WIPP do?
At the WIPP site, transuranic (TRU) nuclear waste is disposed of via burial in a 2,000-foot-deep salt deposit. TRU waste is made of clothing materials, equipment and other irradiated debris, trucked into WIPP from DOE facilities across the U.S.
What areas at WIPP are being considered for clean energy
As part of the RFI, the DOE include a map of the WIPP property showing which areas were preferable for the projects.
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The facility itself sits in the middle of the 10,240-acre property, surrounded by a smaller portion of land that is considered off-limits for the project.
An area along the eastern boundary of the property was listed as “most attractive” in the RFP, and most of the western half was “least attractive.”
Another area on the eastern side of the property but not along its border was “moderately attractive” for the proposal, according to the RFI.
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How can you provide input to the DOE?
Those interested in commenting or suggesting a company or entity for the project were asked to submit a response to the RFI via email to EMCleanEnergy@em.doe.gov.
Specifications on the response requirements are available at federal System for Award Management (SAM) website.
Responses should be no more than 20 pages. They should detail a proposed entity’s name, point of contact resources, size and skills in the clean energy sector.
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Commentors were also asked to explain the entity’s experience working on past CFE projects, interfacing with utility providers and qualifications.
Members of the public can also provide local input to the DOE on what forms of CFE should be considered and how to engage with the local communities.
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Nuclear waste site could generate renewable energy. How to comment
