Some folks may be a bit turned off by ” Nuclear Fuel” and “Northwestern Ontario” in the same sentence.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is looking for a suitable community for a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel.
Communications Manager Mike Krizank says they invite everyone who has questions or concerns to learn as much as they can about the project before they make a determination.
When looking at how safe the project is, the used fuel pellets are placed in sealed tubs made of Zircaloy, which is an extremely strong, corrosion-resistant metal. Then the bundles are placed into large containers made of copper and steel, which also isolates the used fuel. The next barrier is bentonite clay, which surrounds the fuel containers and prevents against water flow. Worst case scenario, if a container fails, the clay makes it hard for radionuclides to travel. The last barrier is of course the host rock, which at certain depths forms a natural barrier.
Surely there are risks to housing nuclear fuel, but Krizank says they have created a reference case where they assume that some fuel containers have undetected defects (1/5,000), people living “off the land” as well as a variety of other “what if” scenarios.
The NWMO takes safety and security quite seriously.
When it comes down to transporting the dry-storage containers that contain the bundles of used nuclear fuel pellets, it’s mostly done by rail and water, as well as on road. The transportation of the fuel is highly regulated and put through a number of tests such as the packaging being subjected to a drop test, penetration test, thermal test and water immersion test.
