An environmental group is leading the charge against Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) controversial plan to develop a deep geologic repository (DGR) for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste along the shores of Lake Huron.
The Great Lakes Environmental Alliance (GLEA), which was formed in response to the proposal, is urging residents in Canada and the United States to lobby against the project. In its latest round of public outreach, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is accepting public comments on the facility through March 6.
The Ontario government-owned corporation has proposed building the repository at its Bruce nuclear power facility in Kincardine, Ontario, near Lake Huron. The facility would be built 680 meters underground for permanent storage of 200,000 cubic meters of waste from three OPG nuclear stations at Darlington, Pickering, and Bruce. The estimated $13 billion (CAN) repository could be operable in about a decade, based on OPG’s timeline.
GLEA questions use of an unproven storage concept for burying nuclear waste in limestone caverns, voicing concern for potential contamination of the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 40 million people in two Canadian provinces and eight U.S. states. The group’s preference is for above-ground storage in a more secure area.
“Citizens, community groups, and a great many other organizations are banding together to prevent these magnificent fresh waters from becoming a nuclear sacrifice zone if the DGR holding systems failed,” the group’s campaign reads.
Catherine McKenna, Canada’s minister for environment and climate change, will ultimately decide whether the application moves forward. She has delayed her decision multiple times, fielding criticism from lawmakers and residents from both sides of the border who have voiced concerns about potential impacts on the Great Lakes.
In December, McKenna punted for a third time on the application, saying she needed more time to analyze the project. She extended the timeline for at least another six months and potentially another year, while asking that OPG consider alternate locations. OPG studied alternate locations in central to northern Ontario and in southwestern Ontario, both of which satisfy the criteria for the project.
OPG maintains that the proposed location is the best alternative, based on cost and environmental and transportation impacts. In response to McKenna, OPG argued that an alternate site would boost the cost of the project by $1.2 billion to $3.5 billion (CAN). It could also delay the project by 20 to 30 years, according to the company. In addition to environmental impacts, the company cited uncertainty in getting communities and local tribes to consent to a new proposal. For the original site, the municipality of Kincardine offered consent, but OPG still needs the blessing of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
