Last updated 5/14/2019
We do not have expropriation power.
The site selection is designed to ensure, above all, that the site selected is safe and secure, and has an informed and willing host.
We will continue to demonstrate our values of transparency, accountability and integrity throughout any potential land acquisition process, which will take place through collaborative dialogue with the appropriate parties.
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Last updated 10/18/2016
The deep geological repository will be subject to a thorough regulatory review process to ensure it does not have significant adverse effects on either humans or the environment. It must be implemented in a manner that protects people and the environment, now and in the future. The repository will require a comprehensive environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) to evaluate the potential environmental effects, to identify mitigation measures as needed, and to define follow-up monitoring requirements. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will review and assess the project, and ultimately, it will issue licences authorizing the project to proceed to different phases of its life cycle development. In developing and implementing all aspects of the project, we are committed to meeting or exceeding all applicable regulations to ensure the safety and security of humans and the environment.
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Yes. Potential effects are factored into the site selection process and the design of facilities to mitigate risks associated with climate change such as global warming in the near term and ice ages in the far future. A number of factors are considered:
Safety, security, and protection of people and the environment are central to the siting process. The repository will only be put in a place where people and the environment can be protected, and a program will be in place in case of an emergency.
Among many other things, we will have to demonstrate that our emergency management program meets regulatory requirements before we can obtain a licence for the project to proceed. For example, there would be a mine rescue team available at the site and backed up with teams from the nearest mines in the region. Also, the facility emergency plan would be co-ordinated with provincial and federal nuclear emergency response plans for a managed, controlled and co-ordinated response both on-site and off-site.
Security at the repository site would include appropriate physical protection, such as fences and security monitoring systems. The facilities where used nuclear fuel would be handled also include physical barriers enhancing security. We are also required to submit security plans to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission before we can obtain licences to operate the repository and transport used nuclear fuel to the facility. These security plans must meet Nuclear Security Regulations to ensure the used fuel receives adequate physical protection against any credible threat. The details of the plans will be fully developed once a site for the repository is selected. Risks and threats will continually be reassessed to make sure security measures are up-to-date and appropriate for the circumstances.
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We cannot speculate on future targets for terrorists, but robust security plans must be in place to protect the repository and the used nuclear fuel. We will be required to ensure the used nuclear fuel receives adequate physical protection against any credible threat. Before we can obtain licences to operate the repository and transport used nuclear fuel, we will need to submit a security plan to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The security plan must meet Nuclear Security Regulations. We will need to continually update and reassess the plan to ensure security measures are appropriate for specific circumstances. Used nuclear fuel pellets are a solid, not a liquid or gas. They are not flammable, explosive or fissile. The fuel pellets are made from uranium dioxide powder and baked in a furnace to produce a hard, high-density ceramic. The pellets do not readily dissolve in water and are resistant to high temperatures. Once emplaced and sealed in the repository, the used fuel is further protected by 500 metres of solid rock and other barriers.
After decommissioning and closure of the repository, institutional controls will be in place for an extended period of time to prevent future society from inappropriate use of the land. Institutional controls are commonly used worldwide to ensure that people and the environment are protected after decommissioning facilities associated with the use, storage or disposal of hazardous materials. For the repository, such controls could include both active measures such as monitoring and surveillance, as well as passive measures that do not require activities on the site. Passive measures could include local land use restrictions, use of durable markers above or underground, and preservation of knowledge and memory through public records/archives. We participate in the Nuclear Energy Agency's international collaboration on Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory Across Generations, which explores various topics such as markers, archives and key information files that would include information transferred across generations, transfer of responsibilities, and others.
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No. We are committed to meeting or exceeding all regulatory standards and requirements for protecting the health, safety, and security of workers, the public and the environment. Safety is our number one priority. The deep geological repository must be licensed by Canada's nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The licensing process is very detailed and covers 14 separate topics associated with safety such as radiation protection, emergency preparedness, environmental protection, and equipment fitness for service. The CNSC assesses licence applications to ensure:
We will need to demonstrate that regulatory requirements in the safety areas will be met for each phase of the project before it can move ahead. In addition to the regulations under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and other associated nuclear regulations, we will need to comply with other provincial regulations such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act to promote and provide a robust safety culture for workers.
Any site selected for a deep geological repository must be able to safely contain and isolate the used nuclear fuel over many hundreds of thousands of years. To avoid potential intrusion and disturbance by future generations, the repository will not be sited in any area with natural resources such as minerals, oil or gas. An abandoned mine would not meet these site requirements since it could still contain traces of natural resources that could become economically exploitable in the future. The presence of natural resources may also indicate characteristics in the rock formations, such as fractures, which are not suitable for the safe, long-term containment and isolation of the used nuclear fuel.
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The safety of the repository does not rely on human institutions and intervention after the repository is closed. In the event the NWMO ceased to exist, the waste would be safely managed by the repository's multiple-barrier system in what is called a passive management system. Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel involves the construction of a deep geological repository and associated facilities. Any site selected for the repository must be able to safely contain and isolate the used fuel for many hundreds of thousands of years, basically indefinitely. Working together, man-made and natural barriers in the geology will ensure the safety of the environment and public.
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