Nuclear waste selection site update

BY LEANNE FOURNIER

The Revell Lake Area, between Ignace and Dryden is one of two short-listed locations currently being considered as a site to host long-term underground storage of nuclear waste. This article aims to provide LOWDSA members with some background and the latest updates about the project and links to resources for more information.

Background

In 2002, Parliament passed the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act, NFWA, which required nuclear energy corporations to establish a waste management organization as a separate legal entity to manage the full range of activities for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The NFWA also required that this waste management organization prepare and submit a study to the Government of Canada on proposed approaches for the long-term management of the used fuel. Under this Act, the Government of Canada was designated responsible for:

• Reviewing the waste management organization’s study on proposed approaches for the long-term management of spent fuel

• Selecting a long-term management option from those proposed and outlined in the study

• Providing oversight during the implementation of the selected option

In accordance with the NFWA’s requirement to establish a waste management organization as outlined above, Canada’s nuclear electricity producers established the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) in 2002. The NWMO was given the responsibility for designing and implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

After a comprehensive three-year study and extensive public engagement, the NWMO presented the study, including its preferred approach, to the Government of Canada. In 2007, the NWMO’s recommendation of Adaptive Phased Management (APM) was selected as the preferred approach for the safe and secure long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel.

APM—which involves the containment and isolation of Canada’s used fuel at a new repository site—comprises six phases, starting with site selection and regulatory approval through to postclosure monitoring of the site. The NWMO is now responsible for implementing APM, subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.1

APM is both a technical method and a management system. The endpoint of the technical method is the centralized containment and isolation of Canada's used fuel in a deep geological repository in an area with suitable geology and an informed and willing host. APM also involves the development of a transportation system to move the used fuel from the facilities where it is currently stored to the new site.2

APM also means that the approach can be adapted as technology and science change.

Site selection process and next steps

NWMO has been conducting its site selection process since 2010. This process started with 22 municipalities and Indigenous communities that expressed interest in learning more and exploring their potential to host the project.

The plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing host. In addition to the Township of Ignace in northwestern Ontario, the Municipality of South Bruce in southern Ontario are the final two municipalities being considered. Of note is that the Revell Lake area is more than 40 km west of the boundaries of the Township of Ignace.

An interactive 3D model of a deep geological repository is available for viewing at the NWMO Ignace Learn More Centre.

NWMO is currently in Step 3/Phase 2: Field Studies and Engagement, which began in 2014. This phase includes geophysical surveys, environmental surveys, geological mapping, and other intensive fieldwork to determine the suitability of the area. It also includes continuing engagement with the community and surrounding municipalities to explore interest and build awareness and understanding of the project.

Site selection and the “Learn More" stage of the project is projected to end in 2023, which will be followed by confirming acceptance by the host community.

Once the site selection process is complete and a host is willing, a regulatory process is triggered. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is the regulator for this process. In the regulatory process, public consultation and impact assessment of the APM project will take place. In the event a willing host or suitable site is not brought forward, the site selection process can be restarted.

Ignace focused on learning more

The Township of Ignace initiated its involvement in the site selection process by formally expressing interest in learning about the project in 2010.

The Township shared the following statement from Mayor Penny Lucas: “Our community members will continue to learn more and define as a community what our willingness is and we will be ready make an informed decision. Nuclear Energy is the single largest source of electricity in Ontario and accounts for approximately 60 per cent of electrical power generated in the Province. Canadians and Indigenous peoples agree that we simply cannot leave the management of used nuclear fuel for future generations. We have been learning for 10 years and a decision will be made in early 2023.”

Concerns and uncertainties

While there is a high level of agreement in the nuclear industry that deep geological repositories are their preferred option, opponents of the project, including a public alliance, Nuclear Free North, believe it is not a consensus that includes public interest groups, academics and many independent experts. Some of the main concerns being cited are the dangers of nuclear energy, the need for public education, and demands for accurate information from the government, nuclear industry and nuclear regulators along with policies and planning that ensure transparency and public safety.

In its material, Nuclear Free North highlights concerns related to risks to the watersheds connected to the proposed site, which includes the Lake of the Woods, if the containers fail, through either manufacturing flaws or simply as a result of degradation over time; transportation of the waste to the site and the radioactive releases that are anticipated as part of transferring the wastes from the transportation cask to the final container; and that the risks will be borne by all along the transportation route, by those living in closest proximity to the site, and by those downstream.

Additional resources

LOWDSA believes that informed communication is important to further the goals of the Association and to educate and inform our members and the larger community of the Lake of the Woods region. Recognizing there are various or different perspectives on a project of this nature, here are some information sources.

• Nuclear Fuel Waste Act: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/ acts/N-27.7/

• Nuclear Waste Management Organization: nwmo.ca

• Canadian Nuclear Safety (CNSC): nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/ waste/high-level-waste/community-meetings-with-the- CNSC/index.cfm

• We the Nuclear Free North: wethenuclearfreenorth.ca

• Know Nuclear Waste (a public interest information project): knownuclearwaste.ca

Through the site selection process, LOWDSA will continue to provide information to our membership and opportunities to learn about the Nuclear Waste APM process. Please follow our Facebook posts, E-news and watch for future Area News articles as this process moves forward. For any questions or comments, please reach out to patrick@lowdsa.com.

1 Source: nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/acts-and-regulations/regulatory-documents/ published/html/regdoc2-11-v2/index.cfm

2 Source: nwmo.ca/en/Canadas-Plan/ About-Adaptive-Phased-Management-APM