Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said on Nov. 26 it had narrowed to three the number of communities being considered to host a deep geologic repository for spent fuel from nuclear power plants.
In a site-selection process that began in 2010 with 22 candidate sites, the remaining locations are the township of Ignace in northwest Ontario and southern Ontario’s municipality of South Bruce and township of Huron-Kinloss.
The latest culling from five locations left the townships of Hornepayne and Manitouwadge, both in northern Ontario, on the sidelines.
“In Hornepayne and Manitouwadge technical site evaluations and social assessments found some potential to implement the project, however the same studies found limited potential to form the supportive partnerships necessary to implement the project within the planning timeframe,” NWMO spokesman Bradley Hammond said by email.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization said it expects to eliminate either South Bruce or Huron-Kinloss, bringing the number of communities under consideration to two. It did not discuss a schedule for that decision, which will be based on studies of properties in the area following agreements for access by the landowners.
“This process with local landowners is part of an ongoing discussion and we have confidence that sufficient land can be aggregated for a potential repository site in either of these areas,” according to Hammond. “Out of an abundance of fairness to landowners, it would be premature to speculate on outcome or timing before options agreements are completed. We’re committed to transparency and once a site is identified in this area we will share information publicly.”
Lawmakers and advocacy groups in the United States expressed concern about the potential selection of Huron-Kinloss for the repository, given its proximity to Lake Huron, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday. That echoes concerns on both sides of the border about possible siting in the same region of a planned Canadian repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.
“This makes no sense,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told the newspaper. “Canada has as much at stake as we do in protecting our Great Lakes. There is no justification for a nuclear waste site so close to Lake Huron to even be under consideration.”
Site selection is scheduled for completion in 2023 following a process involving site and laboratory analysis, drilling of boreholes at candidate locations to increase understanding of their geology, safety evaluations, and socioeconomic studies.
“As we work towards identifying a single, preferred location for this project, in an area with informed and willing hosts, we need to increasingly focus on specific locations that have strong potential to meet the project’s safety and partnership requirements,” Mahrez Ben Belfadhel, NWMO vice president of site selection, said in a press release. “These are hard decisions and not made lightly, but ultimately, we are working towards identifying one area where we can implement Canada’s plan to ensure the protection of both people and the environment.”
Canadian nuclear utilities established the nonprofit NWMO to site, construct, and manage the deep geologic repository for an anticipated 5.2 million bundles of radioactive used fuel. That material is now stored at seven locations in four Canadian provinces, including five active or retired nuclear power plants. When the project is complete, at an expected cost of $24 billion CAD ($18.1 billion U.S.), the material would be buried 500 meters underground.
It is likely to take a decade to build the disposal facility, according to the NWMO, followed by at least 40 years to transport and emplace the spent fuel.
