Creating the Future Together: Canada’s Plan for Used Nuclear Fuel

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization, tasked with the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR), in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.

In 2024 the NWMO selected Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and the Township of Ignace as the host communities for the future site for Canada’s deep geological repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel. This historic site selection decision was based on the priorities identified in consultation with Canadian and Indigenous people at the outset of the process: the site can safely contain and isolate Canada’s used nuclear fuel, used nuclear fuel can be safely transported to the site, and the municipal and First Nation hosts have confirmed at a grassroots level they support moving forward with the project in their area.

While the site selection announcement represented a historic moment for the NWMO, Canadians and Indigenous peoples, it is by no means the end of the journey. Next steps include the regulatory decision-making process and continuing the extensive public engagement program. This will be supported by continued technical studies, including characterization of the site, development of the design of the facility and multiple barrier system, and safety analysis. The safety analyses are used to demonstrate that activities during all facility lifecycle phases will meet regulatory safety criteria. This is done in part by demonstrating that under many scenarios, both likely and unlikely, the calculated impacts to workers at the facility, to public and to plants, animals, water and the environment near the facility would meet safety criteria and be well below regulatory limits.