Waste disposal concept to undergo scrutiny

A plan to dispose of Canada’s ever-increasing amount of nuclear fuel waste is proceeding to the public hearing stage.

In October 1994, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) submitted an environmental impact study on a proposed disposal plan to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

The agency’s environmental assessment panel reviewed the proposal and decided to subject it to public hearings.

The proposal entails sealing the material in corrosion-resistant containers and burying them in the Canadian Shield at depths of 500 to 1,000 metres below surface.

Containers measuring 2.2 metres in length and 65 cm in diameter would hold several fuel rod bundles, each of which would measure 10 cm in diameter and 50 cm long. The containers would then be sealed to prevent contact with ground water.

It is estimated that after 500 years, the radioactivity of the waste will have decreased by 99.99%. The corrosion-resistant containers would be designed to last at least 500 years.

The cost of a facility capable of handling 5 million fuel bundles is estimated at $8.7 million, whereas a 10-million bundle facility would cost about $13.32 million.

(Since the late 1950s, Canada’s 22 Canadian deuterium uranium [Candu] reactors have produced more than 1 million fuel bundles. Currently, these are being stored in a cooling pool for five to six years and then moved into a concrete silo.)

AECL suggests a 5-million-bundle facility could support 875 jobs over a 63-year period. It has not yet selected any sites for disposal.

The earliest storage date would be 2025. AECL expects it will take 23 years to complete the siting process and another five to seven years to construct the facility.

Three stages of public hearings are slated to begin in early March 1996, in Ottawa and other places across the country.