December 7, 2016
Paris, France
A highlight for many conference participants was a tour of the Bure Underground Research Laboratory operated by Andra, the French equivalent of the NWMO. This research station is located hundreds of metres underground and allows the study of geological formations.
Paris, France – The NWMO participated in the 2016 International Conference on Geological Repositories hosted by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Representatives from the NWMO and areas engaged in Canada’s site selection process participated in the conference to learn more about international best practices and experiences of other jurisdictions planning or constructing deep geological repositories. The conference provided a forum for representatives from Canadian communities to learn from other national and international perspectives.
The conference provides four intense days of discussion, learning and collaboration. It brings together hundreds of leading researchers, technicians, geologists, and scientists from the international nuclear waste management community.
About the NWMO
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization tasked with the safe, long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository, in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.
Founded in 2002, the NWMO has been guided for more than 20 years by a dedicated team of world-class scientists, engineers and Indigenous Knowledge Holders that are developing innovative and collaborative solutions for nuclear waste management. Canada’s plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts, where the municipality, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area are working together to implement it. The NWMO plans to select a site in 2024, and two areas remain in our site selection process: the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario.
