Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Strategy Is Key to a Clean Energy Future

As Canada accelerates its nuclear ambitions, one truth remains constant: a clean energy future is only possible if we take responsibility for the energy we use today and the legacy we leave for future generations.

With provinces planning for refurbishment and new nuclear generation, from grid-scale reactors to emerging small modular reactor (SMR) technologies, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is building a future that closes the nuclear fuel cycle while keeping people and the environment safe.

For more than two decades, the NWMO has been preparing Canada for this responsibility by taking action to safely manage Canada’s nuclear waste in deep geological repositories. This approach is internationally recognized as the safest method to isolate and contain nuclear waste for generations to come. 

Where Canada Stands Today on Nuclear Waste Solutions

Canada has made significant progress in developing long-term nuclear waste solutions. After years of engagement with Canadians and Indigenous Peoples and extensive technical study, the NWMO is advancing two major projects at different stages of progress.

 

In 2024, the NWMO selected the Revell Batholith, a rock formation in northwestern Ontario, as the site for the first deep geological repository. The communities of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace voted in favour of moving forward in the process. This repository will be the future home of Canada’s used nuclear fuel. 

The project is now making its way through the federal government’s regulatory decision-making process. This milestone reflects more than a decade of partnership, dialogue, and shared learning with the host communities. It also demonstrates the strength of Canada’s consent-based siting approach.

Planning for Future Nuclear Waste and SMR Development

At the same time, the NWMO is in the very early stages of its second deep geological repository project, which focuses on the long-term management of intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste. The organization is currently inviting feedback on our proposed site selection process for that repository from Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. This work will ensure Canada has a plan for waste that comes from medical isotope production, generation, and used fuel from SMRs that may become operational in the future.

The NWMO also continues to collaborate, sharing its experiences with and learning from its global peers. Canada is among the many countries with commercial nuclear power production that are planning to isolate the waste byproducts of their nuclear fuel cycle in a deep geological repository. Finland, Sweden, France, and Switzerland are among the countries at various stages of moving forward with deep geological repositories. 

The international scientific consensus is clear: this is the safest, most responsible approach to isolating nuclear waste over the very long term, and Canada’s progress places it among the world’s leaders.

Nuclear Waste Management as a Nation-Building Project

Canada’s clean energy ambitions are bold and achievable, but they depend on more than building reactors. They require trust, long-term infrastructure, and a shared commitment to responsibility.

Deep geological repositories are not simply engineering projects. They are nation-building projects that reflect our willingness to commit to the long-term, responsible management of our country’s nuclear waste.

Canada has the expertise, the partnerships, and the momentum to lead the world in nuclear waste solutions. What we need now is collective action to ensure that our clean energy future is built on a foundation of safety, science, and shared responsibility.

This is our moment. Let’s meet it.