Nuclear Power Demonstration Closure Project

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is proposing to decommission the Nuclear Power Demonstration Waste Facility, a former nuclear generating station that operated until 1987. The facility is located in Renfrew County, Ontario, on the south bank of the Ottawa River approximately 225 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

The structures that currently remain onsite include the main reactor building, a diesel generator, a ventilation stack, a pressure relief duct, a guardhouse, foundations from previously removed structures, two landfills, buried utilities and drainage systems, and temporary structures such as sea containers and portable washrooms.

CNL is proposing an in situ (leaving in place) decommissioning approach.  The following activities are proposed:

  • assembly and operation of a grout batch mixing plant
  • grouting of below-grade (underground) structures
  • removal of above-grade structures for use as backfill
  • installation of concrete cap and engineered barrier over the grouted area
  • final site restoration
  • long-term care and maintenance activities

Some temporary infrastructure – such as mobile offices and washrooms, as well as an increase to the electrical services – would also be required in order to facilitate decommissioning. Water-holding tanks and fuel storage may also be required on site to support the proposed project. Additional groundwater monitoring wells would be installed, as required, to monitor the performance of the in situ decommissioned facility.

Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, CNL's proposal requires an amendment to its existing Decommissioning Waste Facility Licence issued by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). An environmental assessment (EA) conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 is required, and an EA decision affirming that the proposed activities will not cause significant adverse environmental effects, before the CNSC can make a licensing decision on this proposal.

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Latest update

January 20, 2022 - On December 17, 2021, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) submitted a revised draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) Closure Project to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which included an updated draft EIS and updated responses to federal and provincial comments and information requests. CNSC staff conducted a completeness check and determined that insufficient information was provided in order to proceed with the EIS technical review. CNL is expected to provide additional information and resubmit the revised draft EIS and supporting documents at a later date. More information can be found in the January 19, 2022 letter to CNL.

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External links

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Contacts

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Lucia Abellan, Environmental Review Officer
280 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9
Telephone: 1-800-668-5284
Email: npd@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca


  • Location

    • Rolphton (Ontario)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Nuclear Energy

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2016-05-05

  • Proponent

    Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

  • Authorities

    • Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

  • Assessment Type

    Environmental assessment under CEAA 2012

  • Reference Number

    80121
Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

 

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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