The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) releases its triennial report showing momentum for Canada's plan for used nuclear fuel

TORONTO, March 30, 2023 /CNW/ - The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has published its 2020-22 triennial report. It highlights the significant technical accomplishments and trail-blazing community milestones over the last three years as the organization continues to implement Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

Laurie Swami, President and CEO of the NWMO, reflects on the last three years and how the NWMO adapted and maintained its momentum in implementing Canada’s plan.

For decades, millions of Canadians have relied on nuclear energy to power homes and businesses. Building a deep geological repository is part of Canada's plan to safely manage the resulting used nuclear fuel over the long term. The repository will be built more than 500 metres underground and surrounded by a natural shield of solid rock. Its design uses a series of additional engineered barriers to ensure the facility's safety for many thousands of years.

"Reflecting on the three years this triennial report covers – 2020 through 2022 – it feels like both a lifetime and a blink of an eye," said Laurie Swami, President and CEO of the NWMO. "Despite the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted and maintained our momentum in implementing Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. We remain on track to select a site for Canada's used nuclear fuel repository next year, and then move into the regulatory decision-making phase of work."  

In accordance with the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act, the report was submitted to Canada's Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on March 30, 2023. As part of the open and transparent process required by the act, the report will be tabled in Parliament in the coming weeks.  

Some key accomplishments during the three-year period covered by the report include: 

• The NWMO narrowed its focus to two potential sites, both in Ontario: the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario.
  
  
• The NWMO published Confidence in Safety reports marking the culmination of a decade of work concluding that the organization is confident a safe repository can be constructed at either potential site.
  
  
• The NWMO conducted a full-scale emplacement trial of the engineered-barrier system at its Discovery and Demonstration Centre in spring 2022. The demonstration showcased the ability to manufacture, handle and place the engineered barriers in a simulated underground emplacement room that replicates the deep geological repository. 
  
  
• The NWMO published its first Reconciliation Report (2021), fulfilling its commitment to measure annually and report contributions to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. 
  
  
• In recognition of the NWMO's successful engagement activities with Canadians and Indigenous peoples about Canada's plan for used nuclear fuel, the Minister of Natural Resources asked the NWMO to lead the development of the Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste. The NWMO issued a draft strategy for public input following extensive engagement across the country.
  
  
• The NWMO maintained co-operation agreements with counterparts in Belgium, Finland, France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and a memorandum of understanding with our counterpart in Tawain, all of whom are pursuing deep geological repositories like Canada. Over the last three years, the NWMO continued to support the international momentum around deep geological repositories, foster international co-operation and learn from each other.

In addition to the triennial report, the NWMO has released its latest implementation plan – Implementing Adaptive Phased Management 2023-27 – outlining planned activities for the next five years. The implementation plan is a living document that is regularly assessed and updated based in part on public input, and the NWMO wants to hear from you! Complete the online survey, available until June 9, 2023.    

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.

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SOURCE Nuclear Waste Management Organization

Russell Baker, Manager, Public and Media Relations, NWMO, [email protected], www.nwmo.ca