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Northern Ontario site selected for nuclear waste underground repository

Ignace has been chosen as the site to hold Canada's nuclear waste in a deep geological repository
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A Nuclear Waste Management Organization senior transportation engineer explains transportation signage for waste uranium during a tour of NWMO's facility in Oakville, Ont., Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — A region in northern Ontario has been chosen as the site to hold Canada's nuclear waste in a deep geological repository.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization announced its decision today, saying the people of both the town of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation have demonstrated their willingness to move forward.

The process to select a site for the $26-billion project began in 2010 with 22 potential locations and was eventually narrowed down to two finalists in Ontario.

The NWMO said it had selected Ignace after both the municipality and the nearby First Nation decided to move ahead with the project.

The other finalist was a site encompassing the Municipality of South Bruce and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, near Owen Sound.

The NWMO has estimated that regulatory approvals will take about 10 years, construction will take about 10 years, and the used fuel will be loaded in over a period of about 50 to 60 years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press


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