HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-01-18, Page 1212 Signal Star • Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Study shows deep nuclear waste vault at Bruce Power poses no greater harm to Great Lakes than more remote sites
Debora van Brenk
Postmedia
A deep vault for dry radio-
active waste could techni-
cally be built somewhere
beyond the giant Bruce
nuclear plant - but at a
higher cost, at greater trans-
port risk and with no envi-
ronmental advantage, says a
new report prepared for the
federal government.
One of the most conten-
tious environmental issues
in the Great Lakes basin, the
so-called deep geologic
repository (DGR) — deeper
underground than the CN
Tower is tall -- is best sited at
the Bruce Nuclear plant near
Kincardine as originally
planned, the study says.
Critics have said the plan
to put the DGR at the Bruce,
site of the world's largest
operating nuclear plant, is
flawed in that it's too close to
the vulnerable Great Lakes
and it was the only site ever
considered by Ontario's
power producer.
The federal government last
February ordered Ontario
Power Generation (OPG) to
examine at least two other
areas for their potential geo-
logical, environmental and
economic suitability.
OPG has spent nearly a
year examining the what
could happen if the DGR
were sited in Northern
Ontario granite or Southern
Ontario sedimentary rock.
The bottom line of the new
report: All factors still point
to Bruce as the ideal site.
Building at either of the
other two would cost more
than double the Bruce loca-
tion; use millions more litres
of fuel to haul the waste and
take decades longer to build.
"The science says that our
proposed location for the
deep geologic repository is the
safest possible solution for the
storage of low- and intermedi-
ate -level nuclear waste," OPG
spokesperson Kevin Powers
said Wednesday.
"From an environmental
perspective, there is no
increased environmental has come into contact with
safety for the lake or the peo- reactors. It would not include
ple by moving it from the highly radioactive fuel rods
proposed (Bruce) site:' (the long -terns storage of
The report says it's also the which is the subject of another
best use of taxpayer dollars, study, that one by the Nuclear
with an estimated S2.4-bil- Waste Management
lion price tag. Organization).
The other two options Low- and mid-level
would cost at least double nuclear waste from Ontario's
that amount, the report says. nuclear power plants is
A joint review panel in 2015 already trucked to the Bruce
concluded the Bruce site — site, where most of it is incin-
1.2 kilometres from Lake erated before it's stored in
Huron, and 680 metres below smaller vaults just below
the surface, in fissure -free, vir- ground level.
tually impermeable ancient This new report was sub -
sedimentary rock that hasn't mitted to the federal govern-
movedinmillionsofyears— meet by a year-end 2016
would be ideal. deadline and was made pub -
"You can look at this geo- lic late Tuesday. The two
graphically or geologically," alternate "sites" described in
Powers said. "Geographi- the report are actually
cally, it's located 1.2 kilome- broadly defined areas that
tres from the lake. Geologi- take in most of northwestern
cally, it is 450 million years Ontario and southern
from the lake." Ontario. Unlike at the Bruce
But that conclusion site, no boreholes were
doesn't mollify opponents, drilled to determine suitabil-
who say even the smallest ity at any specific locations. THE ISSUE IN A NUTSHELU:
failure of the DGR could This report now goes Nuclear energy has long
contaminate the Great Lakes before the Canadian Envi-been touted as a cleaner,
drinking water on which 40 ro nm en t a l Assessment greener alternative to fossil
million North Americans Agency for review and public fuels. But there's always a
depend. comment. The federal Envi- price — highly radioactive
"OPG has looked at this ronment Ministry is then fuel bundles and assorted
from the point of view that this expected to decide late in detritus such as work gloves
will not leak. We have to look 2017 whether to approve the and filters that have come
at this from the perspective application for construction. into contact with the pro -
that this will leak," said Beverly Kincardine has offered to cess. In this case, Ontario
Fernandez, head of a lobby be a willing host for the Power Generation is seeking
group called Stop the Great project. a safe burial place for dry
Lakes Nuclear Dump. Construction approval waste (not the fuel bundles.
"Putting a nuclear waste hinges not only on getting .. yet) from Ontario's nuclear
repository (at the Bruce) is the go-ahead from the fed- power plants. Its proposed
more than risky. It's knowing eral government, but also on bunker at Bruce Power would
disregard for the health of the blessing of the area Sau- be built 680 metres below the
millions of people:' geen-Ojibway Nation. Talks ' surface, 1.2 kilometres from
She said 186 jurisdictions with the First Nation con- the edge of Lake Huron and in
representing 22 million peo- tinue, Powers said. a layer of impermeable lime-
ple have passed resolutions Critics — including thou- stone that hasn't budged
opposing the DGR near Kin- sands of people, municipali- through 450 million years of
cardine, and a petition ties and environmental ice ages and glaciers. OPG
opposing the plan has groups who have petitioned says this is as safe as it gets;
150,000 signatures. against a DGR so near the opponents say it can't be
"OPG is looking for a Great Lakes — say the pro- guaranteedsafeenough.
shortcut solution to a major ject must also be a matter of The comparison:
long-term problem," she international jurisdiction Study compared environ -
said. because it affects the safety mental, geological, cost
The vault would hold waste of shared waters. impact of the proposed loca-
byproducts of the nuclear But the latest report says a tion at Bruce Nuclear, at sed -
power production process: DGR would inevitably be in imentary region of Southern
Ash from incinerated work the Hudson Bay watershed Ontario and at granite region
gloves and solid waste that or the Great Lakes watershed of Northern Ontario.
and with enough time and Start-up date: conclusion and work their
money could he naturally 10 years (Bruce); 30 years way back from it ... They've
safe or be -made safe. (sedimenta ry S o u t h e rn pre -ordained where this was
"With appropriate rock Ontario); 40 years (Northern going to go."
characteristics and design, Ontario granite) Bradley said OPG had
the proximity of a water Existing nuclear facility hoped the project would be a
body to the DGR is not rele- nearby: slam-dunk, until opposition
vant because the movement Yes, Bruce; no, Southern started mounting in the past
of any fluid or gas, even if it Ontario; n o, Northern few years. "They've had dec-
was released from the DGR, Ontario ades and decades to get rid of
would not reach the water Additional costs: this and it's kind of a Hail
body until the radioactivity No, Bruce; $2.7 billion, Maryapproachattheend."
of such fluid or gas had Southern Ontario; $3.5 bil- Bradley said he's con -
diminished to the levels gen- lion, Northern Ontario vinced that environmental
erally found naturally occur- Transportation of waste: lobbyists and U.S. lawmakers
ring throughout Ontario." Half already transported will press their concerns
Meanwhile, in a separate to Bruce from other Ontario with the federal Liberals and
process, officials with the nuclear plants; estimated make this the first real test of
Nuclear Waste Management 22,000 more shipments the Liberals' commitment to
Organization have launched across 300 kilometres to the Great Lakes.
the early stages of how to another Southern Ontario Mitch Twolan, mayor of Huron -
deal with the highly radioac- site; 22,000 additional ship- Kinloss and a supporter of a
tive, spent fuel bundles that ments across 2,000 kilome- DGR at the Bruce site:
are the guts of nuclear power tres to Northern Ontario site He said the he was at a
plants. for an additional use of 4.2 recent conference in Paris of I
dvanbrenk@postmedia.com million litres of fuel over the DGR scientists and a leading
— With files by Denis Lan- lifetime of the DGR (when Swedish geologist said rock
glois, Owen Sound Sun -Times compared with the Bruce at the Bruce was as ideal as
site). could be imagined. The
report reaffirms this. "I'm
not surprised because a lot
of time and money and
effort have gone into this
process over the many years
this has gone on." This gen-
eration benefits from clean,
carbon -free nuclear energy
and is ethically bound to
ensure its byproducts are
safely stored, rather than the
responsibility handed to the
next generation, he said.
"Doing nothing is not an
option."
Jill Taylor, president of SOS
Great Lakes:
The residents' group con-
tinues to believe the DGR
plan is dangerous, fraught
with problems and should
be stopped immediately, she
said. "The Ministry of the
Environment has been una-
ble to approve this project
because of its failings and
continues to ask questions
about it. Everybody should
be asking questions about it.
It is not a safe project," she
said. Taylor noted the roof of
a DGR in New Mexico
recently collapsed, which
highlights the risks of storing
nuclear waste underground.
What they said:
Kincardine Mayor Anne
Eadie is "quite pleased" with
the results of the report.
"Due diligence is always
good and OPG's latest report
just reaffirms the Joint
Review Panel's report and
recommendations to the
minister," she said.
"It's out of our hands and
we trust the experts to the
make the right decisions."
Eadie said studies have
confirmed many times that a
DGR can be operated safely
at the Bruce site in Kincar-
dine due to the area's geol-
ogy. "We live by the lake and
the safety of the lake is para-
mount to us. We all love our
lake. We realize the impor-
tance of the lake, but we also
realize that the nuclear
industry has proven over
decades that they can do
things safely," she said.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley:
A vocal critic of the plan,
he said it's not a surprise that
OPG is ending with the rec-
ommendation it started
with. "They were going to fit
that Kincardine site into the
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