Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has asked for the support of nonprofit organizations on their plan to build a nuclear waste disposal site in Bruce County. According to a report from The Globe and Mail, OPG had asked 19 organizations to endorse their proposal to bury low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR) near Lake Huron.
OPG plans to construct the DGR 680 meters underground in rock. Construction of the storage facility will take anywhere from five to seven years at a cost of $1 billion. At present, there is an estimated 200,000 cubic meters of nuclear waste that will be buried in the DGR if the plan is approved.
Opposition to OPG's plan has grown from various sectors. One of the main concerns is the proposed site of the DGR. Critics argued that putting a nuclear waste storage facility just 1.2 kilometers from Lake Huron endangered the source of drinking water for about 40 million people.
OPG, however, has assuaged fears of a possible nuclear waste leak contaminating the water. The company stated the DGR would be constructed in a 450 million-year-old rock which would keep the waste isolated. OPG would also create multiple barriers around the facility to further ensure DGR would remain safe.
OPG's plan to build the DGR is still under review by a federally-appointed joint panel. After evaluating the project, they will then give their recommendations to the federal environment minister who will give the recommendation to the cabinet for a final decision.
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