The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has secured the last of the land it needs to permanently store more than five million used nuclear fuel bundles.

The organization announced last week that it has signed more agreements with landowners in South Bruce, which, along with the northern Ontario community of Ignace, is one of two potential hosts for a potential deep geological repository site.

The agreements include a combination of option and purchase arrangements that allow the NWMO to conduct studies while allowing landowners to continue using the land. NWMO has now secured more than 1,500 acres of land north of Teeswater.

“This is an important milestone in South Bruce, and an expression of confidence in the project,” said Dr. Mahrez Ben Belfadhel, vice-president of site selection at the NWMO. “We are thankful for the continued interest in our land access process, and know there is much more to do as we work toward assessing the potential suitability of the site.”

The agreement will allow important site assessment work to continue as the NWMO moves to identify a single, preferred location for a deep geological repository.

“We will begin preparatory work for two exploratory boreholes in the near-term, and expect to begin drilling the first in April 2021. Discussions with local landowners in the vicinity of the potential site will continue over the coming months and years,” said Dr. Belfadhel.

Technical site evaluations, such as borehole drilling and environmental baseline monitoring, are key next steps for the site. At the same time, the NWMO will continue to seek input and address questions from residents through open houses, exhibits, meetings and other engagement activities.

“The plans announced today recognize and address concerns which have been raised in the South Bruce community” said South Bruce Mayor Robert Buckle. “I appreciate that the NWMO is demonstrating that they are working with the residents through this process.”

Of the total potential repository site, the NWMO requires 250 acres for facilities on the surface. The specific location of these facilities on the site has not yet been determined. The remainder will continue to be used as it is today.

“A key part of the agreements with local land owners is to support local economic activity by ensuring farming will continue to be the primary economic activity on the site,” said Dr. Belfadhel. “We’re committed to protecting the environment and farmland, while also minimizing disruption to local businesses.”

As part of the land access process, the NWMO committed to develop, in consultation with the municipality of South Bruce, a program to compensate property owners if property values are adversely affected by the project. This property value protection program will be developed as part of a series of well-being studies that the NWMO plans to complete with the involvement of the community in 2021.

Site preparation activities for boreholes will occur this fall so drilling can begin in 2021. In addition to borehole drilling, the NWMO is planning additional field activities to further characterize the geology:

• employing microseismic monitoring stations across the region to monitor for natural or manmade seismological shifts, such as earthquakes or the effects of borehole or well drilling;
• installing shallow groundwater monitoring wells to study the hydrogeology of the area; and
• conducting geophysical studies in the area to assess the suitability of the area to host a repository.