Selecting a site

Detailed Geological Mapping Initiated in Ignace Area

A photo of NWMO geologists outdoors examining rock and making notes

October 1, 2015

Ignace, Ont.

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A photo of NWMO geologists outdoors examining rock and making notes

In October, NWMO geologists began conducting detailed geological mapping in the Ignace area. This mapping is planned to cover broad areas that have been identified as having potential for meeting the requirements of the project.

The initial mapping activities planned for this field season are now finished and will resume next spring as soon as weather conditions permit. The work is expected to be completed over the course of next summer. The scope, locations and access for detailed geological mapping activities are planned and conducted in collaboration with people in the area who have an interest in the land.

The results of this work will help advance understanding of the geology in the area and inform decisions about future studies. This will allow us to further assess the suitability of the Ignace area for a deep geological repository for Canada's used nuclear fuel.

We are also conducting various studies in a number of other areas in Ontario where communities have expressed interest in learning more about Adaptive Phased Management. Several years of progressively more detailed studies are needed before any decisions on a potential site are made.

About the NWMO

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization tasked with the safe, long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository, in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.

Founded in 2002, the NWMO has been guided for more than 20 years by a dedicated team of world-class scientists, engineers and Indigenous Knowledge Holders that are developing innovative and collaborative solutions for nuclear waste management. Canada’s plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts, where the municipality, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area are working together to implement it. The NWMO plans to select a site in 2024, and two areas remain in our site selection process: the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario.

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