Canada: NWMO begins public consultation for second deep geological repository

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced it will be engaging with the public to choose a site for Canada’s second deep geological repository. This public engagement will last for two years and refine the site selection strategy. The formal site selection process is expected to begin in 2028. Akira Tokuhiro, a nuclear engineering professor at Ontario Tech University, approved the NWMO’s initiative but noted that Canada is still focused on the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel, unlike other countries that are instead reprocessing and reusing it. Tokuhiro emphasized that today there are technical means to reprocess the fuel and put it back in reactors to extract more energy. While reprocessing is more expensive, he said it is more climate-friendly and Canada has the capability and know-how to adopt the practice.
Dave Novog, professor of engineering physics at McMaster University, said repositories take 30 to 50 years to be built. Therefore, if advanced reprocessing technologies become commercially viable, Canada could always move in that direction. However, he noted that even reprocessing spent nuclear fuel produces some waste that needs to be disposed of. NWMO emphasized that site selection for the second geological repository will be guided by both technical criteria and community support. Local consent and Indigenous consultation will be central to the process through public consultations and cultural verification studies.