Controlled blast topples 175-foot Cold War nuclear stack at Hanford

A 175-foot concrete exhaust stack at the Hanford nuclear reservation’s K West Reactor in Washington was demolished last week in a controlled blast, marking a significant milestone in the cleanup of this former Cold War plutonium production site. Originally 300 feet tall, the stack had been reduced in height in the 1980s and was used to vent airborne radioactive releases during the reactor’s operation from 1955 to 1970. The demolition was carefully planned and executed by contractors for the U.S. Department of Energy, with monitoring in place to detect any radioactive contamination. The blast was conducted on a Friday to minimize on-site personnel and ensure safety. This demolition is part of the broader effort to decommission the K West Reactor and reduce long-term environmental risks, especially given its proximity—about 900 feet—to the Columbia River. K West is the eighth of nine plutonium production reactors along the river undergoing “cocooning,” a process of sealing reactors for up to 75 years to allow