The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) in Canada could by September begin preparing to drill the first test boreholes in the second of two locations still in contention to house a deep geologic repository for spent fuel from the nation’s nuclear power plants.
At least two boreholes will be drilled starting this fall in South Bruce, in southern Ontario, as part of the site characterization process, according to NWMO spokesman Bradley Hammond.
Three boreholes have already been drilled in the other contending region: Ignace, in northern Ontario. Work on a fourth has been temporarily suspended there as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Site preparation involves selecting the drilling locations, surveying the selected site, designing the actual operation, preparing access from the roadway, and deploying the drilling rigs and other necessary infrastructure.
Drilling of the boreholes in South Bruce will be conducted sequentially by Geofirma Engineering Ltd., of Ottawa. The terms of the company’s contract are not being released.
Each will be drilled down to roughly 900 meters below ground. Rock samples collected from the boreholes are analyzed to glean data on the geologic properties of the area, to help determine their suitability for disposal. Drilling and testing for each borehole take up to six months; the first borehole should go in fall, followed by the second in 2021.
Along will the boreholes, the NWMO in South Bruce plans geophysical evaluations, environmental monitoring, and other field work in South Bruce later this year.
“Technical work continuing during this time includes activities like analyzing data from rock and water samples that were collected during recent borehole drilling and testing in the Ignace-Wabigoon area to gain a better understanding of the geology,” Hammond stated. “We continue to work with communities and contractors to plan for safely returning to the field and drilling the fifth and sixth boreholes in Ignace.”
All operations will be conducted with safety measures to curb any spread through the workforce of COVID-19, Hammond said.
“The safety and well-being of all our employees and the communities in which we operate is a top priority at all times, he wrote. “As we resume begin to gradually resume technical site evaluations, we will move forward following the advice and guidance of public health officials. This includes practicing physical distancing, ensuring appropriate access to personal protective equipment and wherever possible, continuing to work remotely.”
The nonprofit Nuclear Waste Management Organization, established in 2002 by Canadian nuclear utilities, has for a decade been winnowing down the number of candidate sites for the repository that will hold an anticipated 5.2 million bundles of radioactive used fuel assemblies 500 meters underground. It started with 22 interested communities and is now down to two.
A final siting decision is scheduled for 2023, followed by a decade of construction and 40 years of waste emplacement. In total, the project is projected to cost $24 billion CAD.
