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What is the NWMO?

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization established by Canada's nuclear electricity producers (Ontario Power Generation, New Brunswick Power and Hydro-Québec), as directed by the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act, which came into force Nov. 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, through an innovative and wide-ranging program of dialogue with scientists, experts in a wide range of disciplines, and interested Canadians across the country.

In 2023, the NWMO also accepted a new mandate as part of Canada’s Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste. Under this strategy, the NWMO is also responsible for implementing a long-term plan for intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level waste. This second project is in the early stages of development.

What is the NWMO's mandate?

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) was established in 2002 by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers in accordance with the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act.

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. The NWMO is also responsible for implementing the plan for Canada's intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level radioactive waste.

What is Canada's plan to manage used nuclear fuel?

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

The plan, which is both a technical method and a management approach, emerged from a three-year dialogue with both experts and the 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 informed and willing hosts. 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 approach 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.

How will people and the environment be protected?

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.

How does the NWMO plan to address used fuel from small modular reactors (SMRs)?
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.

Browse our frequently asked questions

  • Canada's plan
  • Deep geological repository
  • Site selection
  • Transporting used nuclear fuel
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What is Adaptive Phased Management?

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

It is both a technical method and a management approach, with an emphasis on adaptability. It is designed to meet rigorous safety standards in all aspects of its design and implementation.

The end point of the technical method is the centralized containment and isolation of Canada's used nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository in an area with suitable geology and informed and willing hosts. APM also involves the development of a transportation system to move the used fuel from the facilities where it is currently stored to the deep geological repository.

The management approach 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.

A fundamental tenet of APM is the incorporation of new knowledge. We will adapt plans in response to advances in technical learning, international best practices, ongoing input of the public, insight from Indigenous Knowledge, changes in public policy, and evolving societal expectations and values.

How was Canada's plan for used nuclear fuel developed?

Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel is called Adaptive Phased Management (APM). It emerged through a three-year dialogue with specialists and the public and is based on the values and objectives they identified. In 2007, the Government of Canada selected APM as the country’s plan and directed the NWMO to implement it.


The plan draws on more than 30 years of research, development and demonstration of technologies and techniques in Canada and elsewhere. It is in line with best international practices and has been designed to meet the expectations expressed by Canadians throughout the study.


APM is both a technical method (what we plan to build) and a management system (how we will work with people to get it done). The technological approach involves developing a deep geological repository in a suitable rock formation to safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel.


The management system involves phased and adaptive decision-making, supported by public engagement and continuous learning.


The project will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts. Together with the potential siting areas, we continue to explore the potential for partnership and look at how the project could enhance community well-being.

How does Canada's plan compare to other countries?

Canada's approach is consistent with best practices around the world. Almost all countries with commercial nuclear power production are planning to build deep geological repositories to either manage their used fuel directly, or manage the high-level waste from reprocessing.


These countries include the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, China, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary and others.

Does the plan include managing waste from other countries?

No. The NWMO will not import, manage or store used nuclear fuel from other countries. The NWMO is bound by our mandate as legislated by the Government of Canada under the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to implement the plan for Canada’s used nuclear fuel. It does not allow for the NWMO to become responsible for nuclear waste generated by other countries.

How long will it take to implement Canada's plan?

The NWMO initiated the site selection process in May 2010. We expect to select a site by 2024, with regulatory approval estimated to be completed by 2032. This will be followed by an estimated 10-year period to construct the facilities, with operations expected to begin in the early 2040s.


Used fuel transportation, handling and placement in the repository will occur over a period of 45 to 50 years. After that, the repository will be monitored for an extended period of time — 70 years has been assumed for financial planning purposes — before decommissioning and closure.

Can the used nuclear fuel be retrieved from a repository if needed in the future?

Yes. Based on input from Canadians, Canada's plan, also known as Adaptive Phased Management, requires that the used nuclear fuel be retrievable throughout implementation. The plan is for the used nuclear fuel to permanently remain safe in the repository; there is no intent to retrieve it. However, if it is determined in the future that the used fuel should be retrieved, we can safely access and remove it from the repository.


Safety is the first priority, and we will ensure that any features designed to facilitate the retrieval of used fuel will not compromise the safety of the multiple-barrier system or deep geological repository. Before operations begin, we will demonstrate both placement and retrieval of used fuel containers.


The retrieval process will become progressively more demanding as used fuel containers are sealed in placement rooms, as well as years later, when the access tunnels and shafts are backfilled and sealed. Once the facility is closed and the site decommissioned, retrieval will no longer be an option. A future decision to close the repository will only be made once society and government institutions of the day agree it should happen.

What is the difference between low-level, intermediate-level and high-level waste?

There are three types of radioactive waste produced by nuclear generating stations — low-, intermediate- and high-level waste.

Low-level waste consists of industrial items (such as mops, rags, cloths, paper towels, clothing and floor sweepings) that have become contaminated with low levels of radioactivity during routine cleanup and maintenance activities at nuclear generating stations. Low-level waste contains mostly short-lived radioactivity and can be handled safely with simple precautions.

Intermediate-level waste is more radioactive and consists primarily of used reactor core components, resins and filters used to purify reactor water systems. This waste produces minimal heat but requires a higher level of containment and isolation for longer time periods than is needed for low-level waste.

Most high-level waste is used nuclear fuel. When used fuel bundles are removed from reactors, they are highly radioactive, contain long-lived radioactivity and generate significant heat. There is also a very small amount of non-fuel high-level waste that comes from other activities, such as medical isotope production. High-level waste requires careful management over the very long term.

Under the federal Radioactive Waste Policy Framework and Canada’s Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste, waste owners such as Ontario Power Generation, New Brunswick Power, Hydro-Québec and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories are accountable for the long-term disposal of the low-level waste they create.

The NWMO is responsible for implementing a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel. In a separate and distinct project, the NWMO is also responsible for disposing of intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level waste in a deep geological repository. This project is still in the very early stages of planning.

Waste owners are also responsible for the interim storage and management of the radioactive waste they create.

What approaches were considered for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel?

Canada's plan emerged from a three-year dialogue with experts and the public. As the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act required, we compared the benefits, risks and costs of three technical methods:

  • Deep geological disposal in the Canadian shield;
  • Storage at nuclear reactor site; and
  • Centralized storage, either above or below ground.
We also considered a range of other options that had been considered internationally.

The plan we are implementing, known as Adaptive Phased Management, aligns with the values and priorities Canadians and Indigenous peoples identified as important. It involves containing and isolating the used nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository, using a management approach that is phased, flexible and involves citizen engagement every step of the way.

 

What is Canada's plan to manage used nuclear fuel?

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

The plan, which is both a technical method and a management approach, emerged from a three-year dialogue with both experts and the 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 informed and willing hosts. 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 approach 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.

What is the average cost to ratepayers to fund the deep geological repository?

Paying for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel is a relatively small portion of electricity costs.

The cost of the deep geological repository project is roughly 0.1 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced.

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