Canada’s Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has scheduled a two-day public hearing for October on a proposed 10-year license extension for decommissioning of the retired Whiteshell Laboratories nuclear research site in Manitoba.
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ existing license expires on Dec. 31 of this year. It covers decommissioning operations for the WR-1 research reactor, waste management sectors, storage sites, and other structures at Whiteshell. License renewal would enable Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to proceed with already authorized cleanup work at the facility, according to a CNSC press release.
The defueled reactor has been in monitored storage since shutting down in 1985. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories aims to conduct “in-situ” decommissioning of the reactor, under which the above-ground infrastructure would be largely removed while the underground section would be grouted and left in place under an engineered lid. An environmental assessment (EA) of that proposed approach is being prepared, CNSC said.
Given that situation, “the decision regarding the EA and proposal for in situ decommissioning of the WR-1 reactor is to be considered at a future Commission public hearing, with public participation,” the release says. “As such, the Commission will not, in this hearing, consider submissions related to CNL’s proposed in situ decommissioning of the WR-1 reactor.”
The upcoming commission hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2-3 at a location to be determined in Manitoba. It will be webcast via the CNSC website.
The CNSC issued the Whiteshell decommissioning license to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in 2003, and a number of projects have been completed since then, including demolition of unneeded buildings and construction of new facilities for waste management. All work is due to be completed by 2024.
