Project phases
Adaptive Phased Management (APM) is Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. It involves the containment and isolation of Canada’s used fuel in a deep geological repository.
Overview
Canada's plan is designed to be implemented in six phases:
- Site selection and regulatory approval
- Site preparation and construction
- Operations
- Extended monitoring
- Decommissioning and closure
- Postclosure monitoring
Planning timelines
The NWMO initiated the site selection process in May 2010 and selected a site for the used nuclear fuel repository in 2024. The regulatory decision-making process will take several years to complete. This will be followed by an estimated 10-year period to construct the facilities.
Used fuel transportation, handling and placement in the repository will occur over a period of about 50 years or more, depending on the inventory of used fuel to be managed. After that, the repository will be monitored for an extended period of time before decommissioning, closure and postclosure monitoring.
