Radioactive waste: a big problem for New Brunswick’s proposed new nuclear reactors
[ https://nbmediacoop.org/2020/06/29/radi ... -reactors/ ]
by Gordon Edwards and Susan O'Donnell June 29, 2020 4 min read
New Brunswick groups want new nuclear projects suspended until feds have a plan for radioactive waste
Satellite image of the NB Power Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station with inset showing nuclear waste storage silos. Google Maps.
On June 26, the federal government ended the Environmental Assessment of a proposed radioactive waste storage facility beside Lake Huron, after Ontario Power Generation (OPG) withdrew its proposal to build it. OPG decided to terminate the project after the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, on whose unceded territory the facility would be located, voted on January 31 not to support the project, which had been under consideration for 15 years.
What to do with radioactive waste remains a significant challenge for all nuclear reactor operators, including the two new nuclear projects currently supported by NB Power and the New Brunswick government. Recently, more than 100 groups across Canada, including nine in New Brunswick, signed a letter to the federal minister of Natural Resources asking to suspend all decisions about radioactive waste disposal until Canada has a sufficient radioactive waste policy in place. . . .
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