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Keeping You Connected to the DGR By Marie Wilson, NWMO |
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 The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is a long-term waste management facility for low- and intermediate-level waste | |||||
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Ontario Power Generation (OPG)'s Western Waste Management Facility (WWMF) has more than a 40-year proven track record in the safe and responsible management of nuclear waste. However, with 401 nuclear reactors either operating or undergoing refurbishment in 30 countries, Bruce County is not alone when it comes to hosting nuclear waste management facilities. Nuclear waste is very much a global issue where countries communicate and collaborate with each other in pursuit of lessons learned and best international practice. OPG’s proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) Project for the long-term management of low- and intermediate-level waste (L&ILW) at the Bruce Nuclear site has generated local, national and international interest from the industry and experts in the field which continues to unfold. You will
recall, from time to time, visitors from many different sectors –
government, academia, industry, regulators - and other countries,
have toured OPG’s core storage facility to examine 450 million
years of geologic history by tasting (i.e., salt, metals), touching
and The DGR Project was also recently profiled at the Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) Conference held in Toronto from Sept. 11 – 14 entitled, “Waste Management, Decommissioning and Environmental Restoration for Canada’s Nuclear Activities.” Fifteen papers about the DGR Project on a variety of topics, including design and engineering, geoscience, modelling for safety assessment and public participation and Aboriginal engagement were just some of the subjects covered for the international audience in attendance. About 25 conference participants also attended a tour on Sept. 15 at OPG’s WWMF to view L&ILW interim management facilities and the DGR core storage facility. Following the technical presentations, participants attended a luncheon at the Best Western Governor's Inn in Kincardine to hear, first-hand, a discussion about the siting of the DGR and the ensuing social implications from Kincardine Mayor Larry Kraemer. Kincardine council originally approached OPG to initiate discussions to assess the technical and socioeconomic feasibility of long-term management options for L&ILW at the Bruce Nuclear site. The fact that the DGR Project was given such prominence at the CNS Conference, both in terms of the papers presented and the technical tour, is reflective of the importance and significance of OPG’s business decision, coupled with the willingness of the host municipality and Bruce area, to move from the interim to long-term management of nuclear waste. It’s a decision many other international communities are currently contemplating and discussing.
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For
example, DGRs for L&ILW are currently under construction in
Germany and South Korea while France, Japan and the United Kingdom
are planning for DGRs for long-lived waste. Given that deep geologic
repositories are considered best international practice for nuclear
waste, it stands to reason that Bruce County and OPG’s DGR can be
viewed as a model for others going through the same process.
On another level, if OPG’s DGR for L&ILW reaches a successful conclusion through the regulatory approvals process and can proceed to a site preparation and construction licence, it will join only a handful of repositories worldwide, including those in Sweden, Finland and New Mexico. It is somehow very fitting that this area, which first saw the birth of the CANDU reactor for commercial purposes with Douglas Point in 1967, should also be the area to potentially host Canada’s first DGR for the long-term management of low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste. Other Updates In other news, the DGR mobile exhibit made its final appearance of the season at Pumpkinfest in Saugeen Shores Oct. 1-2. If you are interested in a hard copy of the Environmental Impact Statement Summary (60 pages as opposed to the roughly 3,500 pages in the complete EIS), we can get that to you. Also, we are interested in speaking to your group or club, so if you are filling up your speaking engagement roster for the season, give us a call for a DGR Project update at 519-368-1639. Happy Harvest Time!! Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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