Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said this week it has submitted the Initial Project Description for the Deep Geological Repository for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Project.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission are now seeking public comment from Indigenous Peoples and other community members on the project by Feb. 4, according to the Impact Assessment Agency’s website.
The Canadian waste management organization said in its Monday press release that this milestone marks the beginning of the regulatory process and independent review.
“The posting of the Initial Project Description to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada registry formally initiates the federal impact assessment and licensing processes and provides the basis for sustained community engagement,” according to the release.
NWMO’s 92-page Initial Project Description details the deep geological repository’s purpose, need and potential benefits, the organization said. The document also explains safeguards meant to protect people and the environment, it added.
NWMO Vice President of Regulatory Approvals Allan Webster said the submission of the Initial Project Description is a big step. It is a starting point that “brings together engineering, environmental, Indigenous Knowledge and community perspectives to guide how the project moves forward through impact assessment, licensing, design optimization, construction and operation,” Webster said.
NWMO has implemented its own version of consent-based siting to select Canada’s deep geological repository for waste disposal. In November 2024, the Canadian waste management organization chose Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and Township of Ignace as host communities for a waste disposal site in northwestern Ontario.
In May 2025, NWMO selected a multi-contractor team composed of WSP Canada, Peter Kiewit Sons, Hatch Ltd., Thyssen Mining Construction of Canada Ltd. and Kinectrics to design and plan the disposal site.