Finalizing the Study report

In November 2002, Parliament passed the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act (NFWA). It required the major owners of used nuclear fuel in Canada to establish the NWMO. The initial phase of our mandate was to study approaches for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel, and to recommend a preferred approach to the Government of Canada. The historical information about one part of that process is preserved here in line with our commitment to transparency.

Planning for the Study

Following release of our Draft Study Report, the NWMO will engage in a further period of dialogue to inform the preparation of our Study Report.

The NWMO is required under Section 12 of the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to submit a formal study and recommendation to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada by Nov. 15, 2005.
The Final Report will contain the NWMO recommendations and, as required by the act, will include:
  1. Technical descriptions and economic regions for implementation for each management approach considered;
  2. A comparison of the benefits, risks and costs of the approaches considered, as well as ethical, social and economic considerations;
  3. Funding requirements and an implementation plan for each management approach;
  4. Comments of the Advisory Council on the management approaches; and
  5. A summary of comments received by the NWMO as a result of consultations on each of the approaches with the general public and Indigenous peoples.

Explore the Study

After a comprehensive three-year study, engaging specialists and citizens from all walks of life, the NWMO recommended Adaptive Phased Management for the long-term care of Canada’s used nuclear fuel.

All the specialists and dialogue reports and the analysis supporting the NWMO recommendation are available here for review.

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Selecting Canada's plan

The Study

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Planning for the Study

Evaluation of management approaches