NWMO moves a step closer to selecting nuclear fuel site
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is inching closer to selecting a site to store the country’s used nuclear fuel.
The organization announced recently that it has published safety-related reports for each of the two potential sites being considered to host a deep geological repository for the used fuel. Both are located in Ontario.
Based on years of research and fieldwork, the reports summarize the NWMO’s understanding of each siting area, including geological characteristics that indicate the sites can meet the project’s requirements to contain and isolate used nuclear fuel to protect people and the environment. After a site is selected, additional studies will be undertaken to further inform the repository design and long-term safety case.
“Safety is our highest priority. It drives everything we do, from project design, engineering and environmental research to interweaving Indigenous Knowledge into our work and engaging with communities,” said NWMO President and CEO Laurie Swami. “These reports are the products of years of careful study by our science and engineering teams. They mark a major achievement in the site selection process that launched more than a decade ago.”
The planned underground repository is part of Canada’s plan to safely manage the resulting used nuclear fuel over the long term. The repository will be built more than 500 metres underground and surrounded by a natural shield of solid rock. Its design uses a series of additional engineered barriers to ensure the facility’s safety for many thousands of years.
The NWMO launched the process for selecting a site for the repository in 2010. Twenty-two communities initially expressed interest in potentially hosting the facility. The NWMO has since narrowed down its choice to two sites: the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the other in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario.
The NWMO says its confidence in the safety of each site is built on an understanding of several broad factors, from the characteristics of the geology and long-term stability of the rock and surrounding area, to the strength of the multiple-barrier system and the sites’ capabilities to support the safe construction, operation and closure of the repository.
Both sites were found to share common features that support the overall safety of the project. The sites are located in stable, seismically quiet settings, with rock formations of the necessary depth, breadth and volume to isolate the repository. Neither site has known economically exploitable resources within the rock (e.g., minerals, salt, gas), reducing the risk of human intrusion into the repository in the future.
The Confidence in Safety reports will be used to support continuing dialogue with Canadians and Indigenous peoples about the project, including helping to inform the communities that are considering their willingness to host the project.
After a site with willing and informed hosts is selected, further technical studies will be undertaken at the selected site. Regulatory and licensing work could take a further ten years to complete before construction can begin.