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The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization established in 2002 by Canada's nuclear electricity producers (Ontario Power Generation, New Brunswick Power and Hydro-Québec) as directed by the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act (NFWA), which came into force November 15, 2002.

We were created with a mandate to develop an approach for the long-term care of Canada’s used nuclear fuel and to implement it after the approach was approved by the federal government. We developed this approach, called Adaptive Phased Management (APM) through an innovative and wide-ranging program of dialogue with scientists, experts in a wide range of disciplines, and interested Canadians across the country.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers in accordance with the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act (NFWA). Operating on a not-for-profit basis under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, we are responsible for designing and implementing Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

We consulted with thousands of Canadians from 2002 to 2005 on options for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The Government selected our recommended approach of Adaptive Phased Management (APM) in June 2007 as Canada's plan.

We are now responsible for implementing APM, subject to all necessary regulatory approvals.

Canada’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel is called Adaptive Phased Management (APM).

The approach, which is both a technical method and a management system, emerged from a three-year dialogue with both experts and the general public. It is consistent with long-term management best practices adopted by other countries with nuclear power programs, such as Finland, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The end point of the technical method is the centralized containment and isolation of Canada's used fuel in a deep geological repository in an area with suitable geology and an informed and willing host. APM also involves the development of a transportation system to move the used fuel from the facilities where it is currently stored to the new site.

The management system involves realistic, manageable phases, each marked by explicit decision points. It allows for flexibility in the pace and manner of implementation, and fosters the sustained engagement of people and communities throughout its implementation.

APM is designed to meet rigorous safety standards throughout all aspects of its design and implementation.

Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel involves containing and isolating it in a deep geological repository.

The safety of people and the environment is the top priority in the process for selecting a repository site. We will need to demonstrate that any site selected can safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel for a very long period of time. There cannot be any credible risk from the repository to the public or the environment.

The repository will be located deep underground in a suitable rock formation, which must meet site selection technical criteria for the development of a robust safety case. This approach is consistent with international best practices, and is the culmination of more than 30 years of research, development and demonstration of technologies and techniques.

The repository uses multiple barriers that include the waste form, container, sealing materials and host rock. The system is designed such that the unlikely failure of one component would not jeopardize the safety of the containment system as a whole.

The project will also be subject to a thorough regulatory review process, including an environmental assessment and a licensing review, to ensure that it is implemented in a manner that protects people and the environment.

Once placed in the repository, the used nuclear fuel will be monitored for an extended period of time.

Canada’s plan for used nuclear fuel will be implemented over many decades, and a fundamental tenet of our approach is incorporating new knowledge and adapting to new technology.

In Canada, there is an active research sector exploring new technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs), fuel reprocessing and other types of advanced reactors.

New nuclear technologies such as SMRs or very small modular reactors (VSMRs) may result in different types of used fuel.

There is international consensus that deep geological repositories represent the best practice for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel resulting from SMRs, including any high-level waste from reprocessing.

Canada’s plan is designed to adapt to changes in technology, and we can build flexibility into repository designs so we can be ready for future decisions.

Host communities will be part of the decision-making for any plans to manage SMR-related used nuclear fuel in the deep geological repository.

For example, we are working with potential host communities to develop and agree on processes for managing changes to the type or volume of used nuclear fuel to be managed.

Regardless of the source of the nuclear fuel waste, safety will always be our top priority. As such, fuel waste will need to meet certain criteria:

• The waste must be a stable, unreactive solid material.
• Detailed information about the nature of the waste must be available, including information on physical characteristics, chemical composition and durability, as well as other information that might influence repository design.
• Lastly, the fuel must be transportable to the repository site, fitting into a licensed transportation package.