TORONTO — The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has announced the five companies that will design and plan Canada’s deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel in northwestern Ontario.
As owner of the project, the NWMO has chosen WSP Canada Inc., Peter Kiewit Sons ULC (Kiewit), Hatch Ltd., Thyssen Mining Construction of Canada Ltd. and Kinectrics Inc.
These companies will work on facility infrastructure design and engineering, mine design, mine construction planning, nuclear management advising, nuclear systems and facilities design, states a release.
“Construction will only begin once the deep geological repository has successfully completed the federal government’s multi-year regulatory process and the Indigenous-led Regulatory Assessment and Approval Process, a sovereign regulatory process that will be developed and implemented by Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation,” the release adds.
The host communities for the first deep geological repository are the Township of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in northern Ontario. They were selected last year in a process that began in 2010.
A byproduct of generating nuclear energy is used nuclear fuel. While Canada’s used nuclear fuel is managed in interim storage at reactor and laboratory sites, it won’t be appropriate over the long-term.
The deep geological repository design uses a series of engineered and natural barriers that work together to contain and isolate used nuclear fuel between 650 and 800 metres underground, the NWMO.
For this megaproject an Integrated Project Delivery model will be used, with the companies and the NWMO working as one team.
The selected companies will have the following responsibilities:
- Design/engineering: WSP will be responsible for all architectural design and engineering for the project, excluding the engineering and design related to mine and waste rock pile design, shafts, headframes and hoisting design and the used fuel packaging plant.
- Constructor: Kiewit will be responsible for all above-ground construction design required to build the deep geological repository.
- Mine design: Hatch will be responsible for underground mine and waste rock management, as well as shaft, headframe and hoisting systems.
- Mine construction: Thyssen Mining will be responsible for the underground mine construction design of the service, test and demonstration area as well as the sinking of three shafts into the repository.
- Nuclear management adviser: Kinectrics will be responsible for in-depth nuclear operations management expertise and advice to inform the development and planning of the project, design, oversight and assurance framework and quality assurance programs.
- Nuclear systems and facilities: Hatch will be responsible for project related to nuclear facilities and the used fuel packaging plant.
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