Ontario Towns Consider Approval for Nuclear Fuel Facilities: A Look into Waste Storage Procedures
While electricity generated from nuclear power is efficient, the resulting byproduct—nuclear fuel—poses a problem that the Canadian government has yet to resolve.
Following more than five decades of nuclear power reactors in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick producing this fuel, Canada now faces dealing with over 3.3 million used nuclear fuel bundles without a permanent solution for long-term nuclear waste storage.
“If stacked like cordwood, all this used nuclear fuel could fit into about nine NHL hockey rinks from the ice surface to the top of the boards,” the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) mentions on its website. “At the end of the planned operation of Canada’s existing nuclear reactors, the number of used fuel bundles could total about 5.6 million.”
In an attempt to tackle this issue at least temporarily, the NWMO is scouting locations for a deep geological repository capable of storing the country’s nuclear waste.
Currently, two sites under consideration are the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area, both in Ontario.
As of now, only Ignace, a township situated over two hours northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont., has voted in favor of being the host site for the $26 billion project. For either site to be chosen, both the town and the involved First Nation must give their approval.
Debate
Choosing the project for Ignace was about seizing a multi-million-dollar opportunity, as township spokesperson Jake Pastore informed The Epoch Times via email. He mentioned that in March, the township entered a $171 million agreement with the NWMO outlining various economic development benefits for the community.
Related Stories
Per the agreement, the NWMO would establish a Centre of Expertise within the community, potentially employing over 250 individuals. Moreover, about 900 workers would be required for transitional and construction roles in the $26 billion project, Mr. Pastore mentioned.
Infrastructure like housing, hotels, and restaurants is planned to accommodate the projected influx of project staff, with the township offices expanding to handle a potential population increase in Ignace. This expansion is expected to bring further benefit to the community due to increased tax revenue.
Yet, not everyone in town is in agreement. Concerns arise from the transportation route likely being affected by the tons of waste transported via trucks. Anxiety is also expressed about potential contamination of the local environment, including watersheds, in case of storage issues.
Many Canadians are apprehensive about the safety of nuclear waste storage and nuclear power generation in general, based on a 2022 survey conducted by the Canadian Nuclear Association in partnership with Environics Research. The survey revealed that 87 percent of respondents are worried about nuclear waste storage, while 77 percent have concerns about the environmental impacts of nuclear energy, and 85 percent are apprehensive about the risk of a nuclear accident.
