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Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility

After almost six years of work and planning, construction of the new Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility (SRWMF), to support refurbishment and the extended operation of the station has begun. Some of the key milestones that have been achieved in those six years include:

  • completion of the federal and provincial environmental assessments and developing the required follow up program
  • amending the waste facility operating licence, and conducting the required baseline monitoring work

At the same time AECL completed the design and established a local organization to manage the construction activities. AECL has now selected a contractor to do the construction, and work has begun. The construction activities are governed by a detailed environmental protection plan and AECL have engaged a consultant to provide training and conduct required monitoring which will continue through out the construction period.

Contract Awarded for SRWMF by AECL

On March 22, 2006, AECL issued a major contract for the modifications to the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility for the Point Lepreau Refurbishment Project. This multi-million dollar contract was awarded to Opron Maritimes Construction Ltd.Pop-up of Saint John, New Brunswick.

Key elements of the contract:

As part of the overall refurbishment contract with NB Power, AECL is responsible for:

  • construction of the SRWMF
    • building new waste storage structures to house retube waste
    • additional storage structures for the extended life of the station

Under the contract with Opron:

  • the ground will be prepared for the waste storage structures
    • cutting and clearing of brush
    • rock removal and fill for the waste site expansion
  • foundations and fencing in of the waste storage area
  • the construction of seven vault compartments for level 1 and 2 waste
  • the construction of five canisters for level 3 waste

When this is completed the specialized storage facility will be ready to store the removed waste material when the retubing begins in May, 2008. Other structures to be built will include the foundations work for future additional used fuel containment canisters to handle the used fuel from the refurbished reactor.

The work is being done in accordance with environmental assessment approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. (Authorization to start Construction of New Facilities in Accordance with Condition 2.2 of Waste Facility Operating License WFOL-W4-318.05/2009).

AECL and NB Power place first priority on employee safety and following safe practices in the workplace. To this end all personnel employed for the SRWMF and refurbishment projects will receive training to ensure that the highest standard of a safe work environment are achieved.

The work will begin in March 2006 and be completed by December 31, 2006. The number of employees involved with this project is estimated to be approximately 40 at peak construction.

Waste management:

There are three types of waste from refurbishment work of varying radiation levels – types 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

  • Waste of types 1 and 2 will be stored in rectangular shaped vaults, constructed of heavily reinforced concrete, with walls 61 cm. in thickness. Seven vault compartments will hold steel boxes and other waste containers. Samples of waste of types 1 and 2 include used tooling and compactable contaminated material, feeder hardware and feeder pipes that have become contaminated.
  • Type 3 waste has higher radiation levels and will be stored in 5 up-right heavily reinforced concrete canisters, called ‘retube canisters’ with walls 122 cm. in thickness. These structures resemble silos and are similar to those already on site to store dry spent fuel. The interior structure of each retube canister will consist of seven (7) verticle galvanized carbon steel storage cylinders. The storage cylinders will accommodate containers of waste.
  • Type 3 waste from the reactor core, will consist largely of 380 calandria and pressure tubes crushed and cut into small 6 - 8 cm. square plates (coupons) and some larger pieces of thicker piping.

Civil construction activities at the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility are now complete.