New clean energy sorting and recycling facility will minimize waste

KINCARDINE, ONT. — The Western Clean Energy Sorting and Recycling Facility (WCSR), a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Kincardine, Ont. opened by Laurentis Energy Partners (LEP) in partnership with EnergySolutions Canada, is aiming to minimize waste associated with nuclear energy generation.

The facility was developed by LEP and constructed by Dancor Construction Ltd.

Built for Ontario Power Generation (OPG), the facility focuses on sorting materials like protective clothing or small tools from OPG’s nuclear generating stations, states a release.

The facility reduces waste volumes through processing, segregation and by diverting more nuclear materials through methods that include reuse and recycling.

By reducing the volume of nuclear materials, this operation decreases the need for new storage buildings and reduces OPG’s environmental footprint, adds the release.

Learnings from LEP and McMaster University’s Clean-Energy Materials Sorting and Recycling Initiative in Hamilton, Ont., have been incorporated into the facility.

“Nuclear power has been a mainstay in Ontario’s energy system for the past 50 years and will continue to play a critical role in powering electrification and economic growth,” said Chris Ginther, OPG’s executive vice-president of business strategy and commercial management, in a statement. “This innovative facility will allow OPG to support the three Rs, which includes further reducing nuclear’s already small environmental footprint by minimizing the number of low-level materials in storage.”