TORONTO — The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is congratulating its Swedish counterpart for getting government approval for an underground used nuclear fuel storage site.
The Swedish government has given the go-ahead for that country's first nuclear waste repository at Forsmark, on the Gulf of Bothnia north of Stockholm.
Sweden's Ministry of Climate and the Environment said the plan developed by the country's nuclear fuel and waste management company is safe for both the environment and people.
It relies on a combination of three barriers – copper canisters containing the spent fuel, Bentonite clay around the canisters, and bedrock – for protection against radiation.
The ministry said it supports the expert assessment of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority that this is the best possible technology for disposal over a long period.
"The technology and the capacity are available. It is irresponsible to leave nuclear waste in water tanks year after year without taking a decision. Our generation must take responsibility for our waste," said Minister Annika Strandhall.
The world's first permanent geological repository for used nuclear fuel is currently under construction at Olkiluoto on the southwest coast of Finland.
It's based on the Swedish model and is expected to be operational by 2025.
Laurie Swami, president and CEO of Canada's NWMO, said "It is exciting to see our international counterparts moving ahead."
She added that the announcement demonstrates the continued scientific consensus that a deep geological storage site is the best solution for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel.
NWMO has collaborated with its Swedish counterpart for the past 15 years on a number of technical studies, including experiments at a hard rock laboratory in Sweden.
Swami said the organization will continue to monitor the progress being made in the Nordic region and other countries to learn from their experience while sharing information it obtains in its own research.
NWMO aims to choose between Ignace and South Bruce, Ontario for its proposed storage site sometime in 2023.
