Representatives from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada recently met with a South Bruce committee to talk about the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) deep geologic repository project.
During a meeting on June 1, the municipality’s community liaison committee heard about the assessment and licensing process that would commence after the NWMO makes its DGR site selection decision.
South Bruce and Ignace, Ont are the two remaining communities being considered by the NWMO to host a DGR to store Canada’s used nuclear fuel.
South Bruce Mayor Mark Goetz says the municipality is currently in the process of completing different studies and working through a hosting agreement. He says it is not expected to be completed until September, but once it is completed, it will become a public document.
“That hosting agreement will be the monetary benefits paid to the municipality, should the municipality decide to host this project,” says Goetz.
In addition, the municipality has chosen to hold a referendum to measure the willingness of the community to host the project, which he says he believes will start this fall, and will take place in the last quarter of 2024.
“There will be a referendum vote, where everybody eligible to vote in South Bruce will be able to cast a ballot on that referendum,” says Goetz.
He says while come councillors have been involved in the process for a while, the majority are just getting involved now with this hosting agreement to negotiate with the NWMO.
Should the municipality vote to host the project, Goetz says one of the potential benefits would be monetary gain.
“It’s a $24 billion project, so much similar to what you would see at Bruce Power and what it has done to Bruce County,” says Goetz. “We are a long way from that on this project here and getting to that point.”
When asked if the NWMO has provided any hints about where the DGR would potentially be located, Goetz says there is a spot northwest of Teeswater along 8th Concession.
In addition to discussing with Ignace and South Bruce, the NWMO says they are also engaging with First Nation and Metis communities.
The NWMO says once it has identified a preferred site for the repository, it will begin to undertake next steps, which includes detailed site evaluations, preparing for construction, and eventually operating the facility.
Construction isn’t expected to start until the 2030s.