Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization selecting locations in Ontario to host nuclear waste storage site

Many sites in Ontario are in the process of evaluation to become Canada’s nuclear storage site. The project, worth between $16 billion to $24 billion, would be an underground plant that will contain used nuclear fuel from the reactors located in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

As of now, there is no nuclear waste facility in Canada and country’s individual nuclear plants keep the waste on site. As a result, around two million bundles of nuclear waste have already accumulated in various locations and need to be disposed in a proper nuclear waste facility.

According to Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the site will have a surface area of 100 hectares. The NWMO was formed in 2002 under the mandate of the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to take care of managing the country’s used nuclear fuel for the long term.

By 2015, the NWMO will be short listing two municipalities. The final site will be selected in 2020. However, the facility will only be operational—that is, it will only accept waste—in 2035.

The proposed nuclear waste facility is different from the Deep Geological Repository that will be located in Kincardine, Ontario. That $1 billion project will only host low-level nuclear waste like clothing and rags. It will not store spent fuel which is considered a high-level nuclear waste.

Recently, the NWMO has scrapped two Bruce communities under consideration for the nuclear waste storage site. According to the organization, Saugeen Shores and its neighbor Arran-Elderslie do not possess the physical characteristics to become a storage site for high-level nuclear waste.

Brockton, South Bruce and Huron Kinloss as well as another town in Saskatchewan and other locations in Northern Ontario are still being considered for he site.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Canada generates 15 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power. The 19 reactors in the country are located mostly in Ontario, providing a power capacity of 13.5 GWe. 

Canadian government's measures for greener coal energy to be implemented in 2015

Stricter federal government rules governing the emissions of electricity plants powered by coal will be implemented next year. The rules, which will be applied to newly-built coal-fired plants that will produce power after July 1, 2015, will require the new units to equal the reduced greenhouse gas emissions from plants powered by natural gas. An estimated 11 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from coal.

Estimates show that in the first 21 years of the implementation of new rules, the green house gases emissions in coal fired electricity production will be reduced by 214 mega tonnes . This will greatly help government achieve its aim of lowering emissions by 2020 to 17 per cent below the levels experienced in 2005. Even though, it is a substantial decrease, it still does not meet the agreement set forth at the Kyoto Protocol which sought for 6 per cent below the levels in 1990.

In an August 19, 2011 report that appeared on the Leader Post, former Environment Minister Peter Kent was quoted as saying that the new policies will not translate to substantial increases in the power bills of Canadian consumers. He said that by 2020, the average electricity bill of Canadian residents will go up by about $5 every year.

That report also said that decisions about existing coal-powered plants that will not be covered by the new rules will still need to be taken as soon as they come to the end of their 45-year lifespan. If their operations are to continue, they would need to meet a fresh set of performance criteria which will control and reduce their carbon emissions. 

Calgary International Airport’s expansion plans anticipate the needs of a growing population

Two major infrastructure projects are under construction at the Calgary International Airport. The first is known as the “Airport Trail” tunnel and the second is the runway expansion program of the Calgary Airport Authority. Both are undertaken by CH2M HILL’s Transportation Business Group.

The Airport Trail is a $295 million project that gives vehicles arriving at the airport from south or east a more convenient access. It is 620 metres long and is quite unique because it will be constructed under the expanded runway. Thus, those en route to the airport will not have to go through Deerfoot Trail which is operating over its intended capacity. Monstrous traffic can be encountered in this inner-city expressway during peak hours—something that the Airport Trail can alleviate.

Calgary Airport Authority’s runway expansion project will be constructed over the top of the Airport Trail. Its existing runway is only 12,670 feet but the new runway will be much longer at 14,000 feet. Once constructed, it will be the country’s longest civil aviation runway. Since air traffic controllers can operate both runways at the same time, air traffic will increase. The completion will also usher in fewer flight delays and lesser cancellations because of foggy weather conditions. Construction of the new runway also improve business for courier companies , as they are assured that they can make their deliveries on time.

The projects are set for completion in May 2014. The benefits may not immediately be felt, but as Calgary grows and expands, the people will be thankful that the administration foresaw its utility.