1.8 million nuclear fuel bundles have been produced since the production of nuclear power began 30 years ago in Canada.
Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal: "Nuke waste disposal ideas put forth
By Bryan Meadows - The Chronicle-Journal
June 25, 2005
Ship it to the moon.
That’s one suggestion regarding what to do with Canada’s growing stockpile of nuclear waste.
The option is proposed in an e-mail to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, which is looking for a long-term solution to managing waste from nuclear reactors.
The NWMO has proposed an approach in a draft report titled Choosing a Way Forward.
It proposes a multi-year management system in which options will be evaluated at every stage, and citizens would participate in decision-making about whether to proceed, stop or reverse the process.
“We don’t have all the answers, either about technology or about the future of society,” NWMO president Elizabeth Dowdeswell said in a news release.
“Adaptive Phased Management is a commitment to continuous learning today to assist decision-making tomorrow.”
The proposal calls for the eventual containment and isolation of used nuclear fuel deep underground in suitable rock formations, possibly in the crystalline rock of the Canadian Shield. Through three implementation stages, lasting perhaps 300 years or more, the waste would be monitored and remain retrievable.
In the first stage, the used fuel would remain safely managed at nuclear reactor sites over the next 30 years.
During this period, the goal would be to site a centralized facility and build an underground research laboratory to confirm suitability of the site and the technology for a deep repository. A decision would also be taken on whether to build an interim shallow underground storage facility at the same site.
Depending on public acceptance, used fuel could be moved to the central site for interim storage during a second 30-year phase.
Used fuel would be placed in a deep-rock repository in the third phase, expected to begin around year 60. Future generations would decide in phase three whether and when to close the repository, and what kind of post-closure monitoring would be required.
Under its proposal, the NWMO would endeavor to find “a willing community” to host the permanent nuclear waste storage site.
Site selection will focus on provinces which currently benefit from the nuclear fuel cycle — Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick — although communities in other regions would not be denied the opportunity to be considered.
The NWMO developed its draft recommendations after hearing from technical specialists and more than 15,000 Canadians, including some 2,000 aboriginal people.
Now the organization is seeking input on its draft proposal before submitting a final report to the federal government in November.
The government will decide how used nuclear fuel will be managed over the long term.
The proposed plan would cost $24.4 billion, officials said.
About 1.8 million used nuclear fuel bundles have been produced since the production of nuclear power began 30 years ago in Canada. That’s enough to fill five hockey rinks from the surface to the top of the boards.
Ontario creates the most nuclear energy in Canada, with 20 reactors at three generation stations. They contribute to Canada’s output of about 100,000 used fuel bundles a year.
For more information or to comment on NWMO’s draft report, visit the organization’s website at www.nwmo.ca.
"
By Bryan Meadows - The Chronicle-Journal
June 25, 2005
Ship it to the moon.
That’s one suggestion regarding what to do with Canada’s growing stockpile of nuclear waste.
The option is proposed in an e-mail to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, which is looking for a long-term solution to managing waste from nuclear reactors.
The NWMO has proposed an approach in a draft report titled Choosing a Way Forward.
It proposes a multi-year management system in which options will be evaluated at every stage, and citizens would participate in decision-making about whether to proceed, stop or reverse the process.
“We don’t have all the answers, either about technology or about the future of society,” NWMO president Elizabeth Dowdeswell said in a news release.
“Adaptive Phased Management is a commitment to continuous learning today to assist decision-making tomorrow.”
The proposal calls for the eventual containment and isolation of used nuclear fuel deep underground in suitable rock formations, possibly in the crystalline rock of the Canadian Shield. Through three implementation stages, lasting perhaps 300 years or more, the waste would be monitored and remain retrievable.
In the first stage, the used fuel would remain safely managed at nuclear reactor sites over the next 30 years.
During this period, the goal would be to site a centralized facility and build an underground research laboratory to confirm suitability of the site and the technology for a deep repository. A decision would also be taken on whether to build an interim shallow underground storage facility at the same site.
Depending on public acceptance, used fuel could be moved to the central site for interim storage during a second 30-year phase.
Used fuel would be placed in a deep-rock repository in the third phase, expected to begin around year 60. Future generations would decide in phase three whether and when to close the repository, and what kind of post-closure monitoring would be required.
Under its proposal, the NWMO would endeavor to find “a willing community” to host the permanent nuclear waste storage site.
Site selection will focus on provinces which currently benefit from the nuclear fuel cycle — Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick — although communities in other regions would not be denied the opportunity to be considered.
The NWMO developed its draft recommendations after hearing from technical specialists and more than 15,000 Canadians, including some 2,000 aboriginal people.
Now the organization is seeking input on its draft proposal before submitting a final report to the federal government in November.
The government will decide how used nuclear fuel will be managed over the long term.
The proposed plan would cost $24.4 billion, officials said.
About 1.8 million used nuclear fuel bundles have been produced since the production of nuclear power began 30 years ago in Canada. That’s enough to fill five hockey rinks from the surface to the top of the boards.
Ontario creates the most nuclear energy in Canada, with 20 reactors at three generation stations. They contribute to Canada’s output of about 100,000 used fuel bundles a year.
For more information or to comment on NWMO’s draft report, visit the organization’s website at www.nwmo.ca.
"
posted by Greta Jane at Wednesday, June 29, 2005
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