Technical Tours
Three unique nuclear sites close to Carlsbad, NM are proposed to the meeting attendees for Technical Tours. These sites are: the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the URENCO Enrichment Facility, and the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) Facility. We are also proposing an unforgettable Excursion to the Carlsbad Caverns. All these events will take place on Friday September 15, 2017, all day long (specific times TBD). Participants to the Technical Tour or Excursion of their choice will have to sign up at the time of registration. Note that he Carlsbad Caverns Excursion is open not only to meeting attendees, but also to Spouses and Guests (either included in the Spouse/Guest registration, or available for $25/ticket - see Fees / Registration page). Lunch will be provided to the participants to the Tours or Excursion.
Please click on each Technical Tour below for more information:
Special note on Technical Tours
The Technical Tours are offered to the registered meeting attendees only (no Spouses or Guests). Participation to a Technical Tour is free of charges. However, space is limited. Participants will be selected on a “first come, first served” basis. Others will be placed on a waiting list, with no assurance to participate. Specific authorization will have to be completed ahead of time, and additional paperwork will be requested to participants on a case by case basis. Failure from the potential participants to provide the necessary information to the organizers on time will result in the cancellation of their participation to the Tour.
DOE/WIPP photo
A. WIPP Tour
The WIPP is the only U.S. deep geological repository licensed to permanently dispose of the nation’s defense-related transuranic waste. The waste have been emplaced in a 2,000 ft-deep salt basin formed during the Permian Period approximately 250 million years ago. Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, approximately 26 miles east of Carlsbad, NM, WIPP began disposal operations in March 1999. Two incidents forced disposal operations to stop in February 2014. After a nearly 3-year recovery process, the WIPP has been resuming activities this year.
The Tour will include an extensive presentation of the WIPP mission, achievements and challenges. It will take place at the site. A visit of the key areas at the surface of the site will be followed with a unique tour of the underground, should this latter not interfere with the operations going on that day.
Length: Full-day.
Participation fee: none. However, participants need to sign up at the time of registration.
Requirements: In order to get approval to access the site, additional information will be requested on a case by case basis.
Deadline for signing up: July 17, 2017.
WCS photo.
B. URENCO + WCS Tour
This Technical Tour will combine two exceptional facilities located at the New Mexico-Texas border, approximately 75 miles east of Carlsbad, NM: the URENCO Enrichment Facility, and the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) Facility.
URENCO USA is the first enrichment facility to be built in the U.S. in 30 years and the first ever using centrifuge enrichment technology. The URENCO USA facility began operations on June 2010. At the end of December 2016, capacity at URENCO USA stood at 4,700 tSW/a. It is anticipated that at full planned 5,700 tSW/a capacity, the facility will produce sufficient enriched uranium for nuclear fuel to provide approximately 7% of America’s electricity needs.
Located within a 1,200-ft. thick nearly impermeable red-bed clay formation, the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site ensures secure, compliant, safe and permanent disposal of radioactive waste by combining this unique natural barrier with a custom designed and engineered, 7-ft. thick, steel-reinforced concrete liner system. WCS operates a fully licensed 1,338-acre facility located on a 14,900-acre site in western Andrews County, Texas.
Length: Full-day (Morning at URENCO, Afternoon at WCS).
Participation fee: none. However, participants need to sign up at the time of registration.
Requirements: In order to get approval to access both sites, additional information will be requested on a case by case basis.
Deadline for signing up: July 17, 2017.
NPS Photo
Carlsbad Caverns Excursion
We invite you to discover (or re-discover) the remarkable Carlsbad Caverns National Park! Beneath the scenic and rugged Chihuahuan Desert, in the rocky slopes and deep canyons of Guadalupe Mountain range, sits the largest chambered cavern in North America, and other underground wonders! Above grounds, around sunset time, the ballet of hundreds of thousands of bats will leave you amazed!
Your Carlsbad Caverns Excursion will include the following:
- The outstanding Big Room, which you can access either hiking down a 1.25 mile paved trail through the cave’s Natural Entrance, or … taking an elevator ride!
- The beautiful King’s Palace, the deepest portion of the cavern open to the public. On this ranger-guided tour, you will leisurely stroll through 4 naturally decorated chambers of the cave. You will also experience the natural darkness of the cave, when the ranger conducts the impressive “black-out”!
- The spectacular Bat Flight program will take place at dusk, when thousands of bats exit the cave to look for food.
General information on the Carlsbad Caverns National Park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm.
Length: Full-day.
Participation fee: Included for registered meeting participants who sign up at the time of registration. For others, $25/ticket.
NPS photo