The Canadian organization charged with disposal of the nation’s spent nuclear reactor fuel this week initiated or refreshed cooperation deal with corresponding organizations from Belgium, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The agreements were signed Monday in Toronto at the annual meeting of the International Association for Environmentally Safe Disposal of Radioactive Materials, according to a press release Tuesday from the nongovernmental Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
The agreement with Belgium’s National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material (ONDRAF/NIRAS) is new, while the others are being renewed, NWMO spokesman Bradley Hammond said by email. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization also has similar agreements in place with Finland, Japan, and South Korea.
“These agreements were negotiated over the last few months and are expected to remain in place for a number of years,” according to Hammond. “The agreements cover a range of NWMO and industry activities, including general updates on important milestones associated with Canada’s Plan, best practices associated with site selection process and research and development activities that are part of the technical program.”
The NWMO is in the site-selection period of what is expected to be a $24 billion CAN ($18.8 billion) program for permanent disposal of over 5 million bundles of spent reactor fuel from Canadian nuclear facilities. Five of 22 communities remain in contention to host a deep geologic repository, and a decision is anticipated in 2023. Construction is expected to begin in 2033 and the facility should be open a decade afterward.
