A two-part public hearing into Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) application to construct a Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at its Chalk River site has been scheduled by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
The hearing gives Indigenous communities and members of the public another opportunity to continue their participation in the regulatory review process for the proposed project.
Part 1, slated for February 22nd of next year, will allow CNL and CNSC staff to submit documentation relating to the NSDF application and environmental assessment.
A comment period then begins.
Part 2, which begins May 31st, will see Indigenous communities and members of the public present their comments to the CNSC commissioners.
The proposed NSDF is an engineered containment facility that would be built on AECL’s Chalk River Laboratories site and permanently house waste from a variety of on-site sources following a 70-year accumulation period.
The mound is designed to contain one million cubic metres of low-level waste in a multi-layer base liner and cover system. A dedicated waste water treatment plant will safely remove contaminants from precipitation.
The NSDF project review has been underway since 2017 and the two-part hearing is the next stage in the process.
With approval, construction could begin as early as the fall of 2022.
