A proposed transportation plan by Canada’s nuclear industry calls for as many as thirty thousand shipments of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods to travel through some of Ontario’s most densely populated communities over four decades. The planned transport of spent fuel would begin in the 2040s. Under the proposed plan created by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), spent fuel rods would be shipped by road and/or rail from reactor sites and interim storage facilities in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick. Their ultimate destination would be South Bruce or Ignace in Ontario.
Currently, researchers are studying the ancient bedrock below both communities to determine whether the geology is right for a deep geologic repository. The two-thousand-foot-deep repository will cost about twenty-three billion dollars. Canada could permanently dispose of its entire stockpile of nuclear waste for thousands of years in the repository. The selection of a site is expected in finalized by 2023.
Once the site is chosen, up to thirty thousand shipments of spent fuel will be shipped to the repository over four decades starting in the 2040s. This translates into an average of six hundred and forty shipments per year or almost two shipments a day. Radioactive cargo could potentially travel along rail routes, four hundred series highways or even city streets.
Spent nuclear fuel rods would be shipped in the Used Fuel Transportation Package (UFTP) which consists of three main components including the body, lid and impact limiter. The body and the lid are made from solid stainless steel. The walls are nearly a foot thick. Thirty-two bolts connect the lid to the body. The impact limiter has a redwood core encased in a stainless-steel skin. The body and lid provide containment, shielding and impact resistance. The impact limiter is designed to protect the body and lid closure in the event of an accident. The reusable package can transport one hundred ninety-two fuel rod bundles (about two modules). The total weight of a full container is around thirty-five tons.
Caitlin Burley is the NWMO's manager of transportation engagement. She says that “We're confident we can safely transport used nuclear fuel.” She went on to say that the likelihood of an accidental radiation release, particularly in the event of a crash, while the waste is being transported through cities of some of the province’s most productive farmland depends largely on the safety of the containers in which the spent fuel rods are being transported.
Burley said that their containers have been extensively tested according to international standards. Tests included nuclear shipping containers being dropped, immersed in water, punctured, rammed with a locomotive or even burned with propane and jet fuel. Burley said that all of these tests have been used sequentially on the same container.
Burley said that in all the tests, the containers successfully shielded the outside environment from nuclear radiation. She noted that in almost sixty years of transporting spent nuclear fuel, there has never been an incident in which people or the environment have been harmed.
Transportation of spent nuclear fuel is regulated by Transport Canada and the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission. Final approval of the plan rests with the federal government. Shipments will also have to have security details. They will be monitored by satellite and in constant communication with a 24-hour command center to ensure that the spent fuel rods are not captured by criminals or terrorists. In the event that a crash does happen, the NWMO has developed a plan to deal with the situation. Burley said, “We will be prepared. We will have the equipment and the personnel in place to respond. Everyone will know what their job is.”
Bill Knoll is the president of South Bruce and vice-president of the citizens' group Protecting Our Waterways — No Nuclear Waste. He said, “The plan is vague on details and is more of a plan for a plan. This is one of the issues we have with the NWMO. Information that should be easy to arrive at is always changing.”
NWMO said that the plan was vague because it is still in flux. They noted that the nuclear industry has not yet narrowed down whether the permanent location for Canada’s spent nuclear fuel would be South Bruce or Ignace. Burley said, “It's not set in stone. It's actually a living document that's meant to advance conversations around transportation. We're really interested in what people have to say so we can incorporate it into our planning.”