Nuclear Waste Management Organization

What is the Nuclear Waste Management? NWMO is a new organization developed to DEAL with the USED nuclear fuel in Canada. This organization has an obligation to contact all the stakeholders involved with this issue, and after contacting the NBAPC we choose to deal with educating our member of this important issue.

The Nuclear Waste Management, engaged in open dialogue to establish long term goals.

• Social acceptable
• Environmentally responsible
• Technically sound
• Economically feasible

On November 2005 recommendations where presented to the Federal Government. Since 1971 Nuclear power was used in Canada. In Ontario it makes up 35% energy distribution. New Brunswick uses 30% and Quebec 2.5.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with what is transpiring at Point Lepreau.

http://www.gnb.ca/0085/docs/lepreau/index-e.asp

Nuclear Power is Uranium based and every 7 to 10 years they replace bundles in the reactor. The bundles are place in water (wet storage) in efforts to cool the unit and to protect it. Once these bundles of Uranium are cooled it can be transferred to holding areas (dry storage).

All this activity is licence and watched by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/

Presently in Canada there are 1.8 million used bundles in either wet or dry storage. In a lifetime of one reactor, there will be upwards to 3.6 million bundles that will have to be put into storage. Canada has not yet adopted a concert plan to deal with these used fuels. Therefore the NWMO chose to talk to citizens of Canada as well as experts on this ever pressing issue.

NBAPC participated in questionnaire developed by CAP (Congress of Aboriginal Peoples) and was submitted back to the NWMO. The first questionnaire from NWNO covered areas like, Governance, Participation, Aboriginal values, Ethics, Education, Health Safety, Security, Environment, Economics, and Technical Adequacy.

Nuclear Waste Management Questionnaire

Elizabeth Dowdeswell (President NWMO) recognized everyone has a role in these important issues, and in all levels of Canadian society, for it impacts each and every one of us.

Upon renewal of the individuals who participated in discussion and questionnaires, Canadians come up with 6 principles important to take into consideration. Responsibility, Adaptability, Stewardship, Accountability & Transparency, Knowledge and or Education, and Inclusion on by all levels involved. Ethical considerations were also touched upon. Sensitivity, Respect life, Respect future, Respect people, Justice and Fairness.

The Assessment team, laid out 8 objectives with long term assessment in mind. Fairness in all the cost involved sharing and not one area hold more financial burden. Other points the assessment team brought forward was Public heath and safety, Community well being, Security, Environmental Integrity, Economic Viability, Adaptabilities, Worker health and safety.

These issues were deemed all important and no issue supersedes the other. However one point remains clear, something has to be but into place that will not suit the immediate but address a forever dealing with these nuclear contaminants. Reactor site storage is necessary! Many ideas have been put forth such as, making new facilities on site

Improving existing storage by developing new technologies knowing that refurbishment, repackaging may happen every 300 years. The average estimate for this refurbishment would be roughly 17.6 upwards to 25.7 Billion. Currently there are no sites designed for long term storage.

Current suggestions are having a site designed that never becomes opened, just having a site for disposal with no chances for reuse in the future. This storage would be designed underground with the aid Geological input in protection designed containers. Centralized storage is the other suggestion. Centralized storage would be an above or shallow ground design for housing nuclear waste. The positives for this design, is one can monitor what condition it is in. This design would be engineered barriers, with protection. The negative factors in this are the initial cost would be 15.5 upwards to 20 Billion dollars each 300 years. This cost would never go away; it would continue to cost each generation in maintaining security and maintenance dollars.

As stated earlier, it is not a simple issue on how to deal with Nuclear Waste in Canada. Therefore it is important to remain, active in obtaining as much information on these issues as possible. For more information, please visit the NWMO website.

www.nwmo.ca