The township of Ignace in Canada’s Ontario province has confirmed its willingness to progress to the next phase of the site selection process to host a deep geological repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel. Ignace is the first of four communities in the site selection process to share their decision, which comes following more than a decade of engagement with the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation (NWMO).
Lise Morton, Vice-President of Site Selection at NWMO congratulated the township on its decision. “We could not have gotten to where we are today without the leadership and dedication to learning shown by the people of Ignace.” NWMO stressed that the project “will only proceed in an area with informed and willing host communities, where the municipality, Indigenous peoples, and others in the area are working together to implement it”.
The NWMO continues to collaborate with the three other communities involved in the site selection process to understand community willingness to move forward. Discussions are ongoing with Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in the northwest, Saugeen Ojibway Nation (comprised of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation) and the Municipality of South Bruce in the southwest, which will hold a municipal referendum in October.
In addition to willing host communities, NWMO said it must be confident that the selected site will meet stringent safety requirements, “and that we can develop a safe, socially acceptable plan to transport the used fuel from current, temporary storage to the site”. Following site selection NWMO will enter a mandatory multi-year regulatory decision-making process including an impact assessment and licence applications.
The impact assessment, led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), provides an opportunity for public participation and is designed to ensure the project meets or exceeds strict regulatory criteria to protect the health, safety and security of people and the environment.
The proposed DGR will be constructed roughly 650-800 metres below ground level and encased in a natural shield of solid rock. The repository design incorporates a series of engineered barriers to ensure the fuel can be isolated safely for many thousands of years.
The site selection process began in 2010 when 22 communities expressed interest exploring their potential to host the GDR. Following years of technical assessment and community engagement, two potential sites remain in the process – Ignace and South Bruce in southern Ontario.
Both potential sites are situated in stable, seismically quiet settings with rock formations of the necessary depth, breadth and volume to host the repository. In addition, the studies found no economically viable resources within the rock, such as minerals, salt or gas, reducing the possibility of human intrusion in the future.
The mayor and Council of the Canadian Township of Ignace in March signed an agreement with NWMO on the potential hosting of the GDR. A Special Meeting of Ignace Council unanimously passed a resolution that allows Mayor Kim Baigrie the authority to sign an historic potential hosting agreement between the Township and the NWMO.
NWMO is expected to make a final decision on the siting of the DGR by the end of December 2024. The regulatory and licensing process is expected to take about 10 years. Construction of the repository is expected to begin in 2033, for operation in the early-2040s.
