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The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization established by Canada's nuclear electricity producers (Ontario Power Generation, New Brunswick Power and Hydro-Québec), as directed by the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act, which came into force Nov. 15, 2002.

We were created with a mandate to develop an approach for the long-term care of Canada’s used nuclear fuel and to implement it after the approach was approved by the federal government. We developed this approach, called Adaptive Phased Management, through an innovative and wide-ranging program of dialogue with scientists, experts in a wide range of disciplines, and interested Canadians across the country.

In 2023, the NWMO also accepted a new mandate as part of Canada’s Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste. Under this strategy, the NWMO is also responsible for implementing a long-term plan for intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level waste. This second project is in the early stages of development.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers in accordance with the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act.

Operating on a not-for-profit basis under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, we are responsible for designing and implementing Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The NWMO is also responsible for implementing the plan for Canada's intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level radioactive waste.

Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel is called Adaptive Phased Management (APM).

The plan, which is both a technical method and a management approach, emerged from a three-year dialogue with both experts and the public. It is consistent with long-term management best practices adopted by other countries with nuclear power programs, such as Finland, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The end point of the technical method is the centralized containment and isolation of Canada's used fuel in a deep geological repository in an area with suitable geology and informed and willing hosts. APM also involves the development of a transportation system to move the used fuel from the facilities where it is currently stored to the new site.

The management approach involves realistic, manageable phases, each marked by explicit decision points. It allows for flexibility in the pace and manner of implementation and fosters the sustained engagement of people and communities throughout its implementation.

APM is designed to meet rigorous safety standards throughout all aspects of its design and implementation.

Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel involves containing and isolating it in a deep geological repository.

The safety of people and the environment is the top priority in the process for selecting a repository site. We will need to demonstrate that any site selected can safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel for a very long period of time. There cannot be any credible risk from the repository to the public or the environment.

The repository will be located deep underground in a suitable rock formation, which must meet site selection technical criteria for the development of a robust safety case. This approach is consistent with international best practices, and is the culmination of more than 30 years of research, development and demonstration of technologies and techniques.

The repository uses multiple barriers that include the waste form, container, sealing materials and host rock. The system is designed such that the unlikely failure of one component would not jeopardize the safety of the containment system as a whole.

The project will also be subject to a thorough regulatory review process, including an environmental assessment and a licensing review, to ensure that it is implemented in a manner that protects people and the environment.

Once placed in the repository, the used nuclear fuel will be monitored for an extended period of time.

New nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors or very small modular reactors may result in different types of used fuel. There is international consensus that deep geological repositories represent the best practice for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel resulting from these emerging technologies.

We actively engage with proponents of potential new nuclear projects to help us prepare for decisions that could change the volume and type of waste we are responsible for managing.

Canada’s first deep geological repository will contain and isolate all the country’s used nuclear fuel from existing CANDU reactors using a multiple-barrier system. A fundamental tenet of our approach is incorporating new knowledge and adapting to new technology. We are building flexibility into repository designs so we can be ready to manage new types of used nuclear fuel.

In case we need additional capacity in the future, we are exploring the potential to include future used fuel from new nuclear projects in the same repository we will use to manage intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level waste. Planning for this second repository project is still in the early stages of development. We are currently seeking input on a proposed site selection process, which is then expected to begin in 2028.

Regardless of the source of the nuclear fuel waste, safety will always be our top priority.