Proposed OPG repository documents published

27 January 2009

Two documents related to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG's) proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DRG) at its Bruce site in Kincardine, Ontario, have been published.
 

OPG DGR concept
Deep impact: Concept of the proposed repository (Image: OPG)

The guidelines for the repository's environmental impact statement (EIS) and details of the Joint Review Panel (JRP) that will examine it have been released by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

 
The EIS guidelines identify the information needed for OPG to prepare the document, which will provide a detailed analysis of the potential environmental effects of the proposed project. The guidelines also list the requirements for a licence to prepare the site and construct the Deep Geologic Repository. OPG will prepare and submit an EIS that examines the potential environmental effects, including cumulative effects, of the site preparation, construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of the project and evaluate their significance.
 
The JRP agreement establishes how the panel will function and the terms of reference for conducting the environmental assessment, and for considering the licence application to prepare a site and construct a facility. The panel will consist of three members; two to be appointed by the president of the CNSC and one to be selected by the minister of the environment. The panel members are to be "unbiased and free of any conflict of interest" in the project. They are "to have knowledge or experience relevant to the anticipated environmental effects" of the repository.
 
The draft EIS Guidelines and the draft JRP Agreement were subject to public consultation between April and June 2008, and were amended following consideration of the comments received.
 
The next steps will include the appointment of the JRP members, the submission of OPG's EIS for the repository and licensing documentation to the JRP, and a public consultation on the EIS.
 
OPG has proposed the construction and operation of a repository for the long-term storage of low- and intermediate-level waste (LLW/ILW) on lands adjacent to the Western Waste Management Facility at Bruce. The DRG will consist of above- and below-ground facilities for the receipt of LLW/ILW and the transfer of the waste underground. The repository would be located some 600 to 800 metres below the surface. Pending approvals and licensing by regulatory agencies, the DGR will commence construction in 2012 and operation in 2017 or 2018.