Young adults from South Bruce visit Bruce Power & OPG to learn about used nuclear waste storage

SOUTH BRUCE, ON – About a dozen young residents from South Bruce and nearby communities visited Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Bruce Power for a unique experience, learning about nuclear energy and seeing first hand the management of all levels of nuclear waste, including used fuel bundles after they are removed from a reactor.

The Municipality of South Bruce’s #NextGenNetwork, which plans events geared towards the next generation of local leaders, hosted a site tour on Thursday, May 11th for community members between the ages of 18 and 30. The sites included were OPG’s Nuclear Sustainability Services – Western Facility and Bruce Power B. The tour began with a security clearance, safety demonstration and an overview of site operations.

The fuel bay at Bruce B is where used fuel bundles are cooled before they are placed in dry storage. Fuel bundles are very radioactive after being removed from the reactor yet a few metres of water provides sufficient shielding to protect people from radiation. After just one year in a cooling pool, a fuel bundle will give off less than 0.1% of the heat emitted compared to in a reactor. The fuel bundles will spend over ten years in a cooling pool when removed from a reactor. The tour of the secondary fuel bay provided valuable insight into cooling pool mechanisms used for reducing heat and radioactivity emitted from used fuel bundles recently removed from a reactor and allowed the visitors to see used fuel bundles which would eventually be stored in a deep geological repository.

“It was great to see so many young people from South Bruce take the opportunity to visit Bruce Power and learn more about clean, reliable nuclear power and cancer-fighting medical isotopes,” said John Peevers, Bruce Power’s Director, Community & Media Relations, & Economic Development. “Bruce Power and the nuclear industry are committed to openness and transparency and it’s important that we continue to tell our story as nuclear will play a key role in the clean electricity future for Ontario and Canada, as we pursue Net Zero by 2050”.

The group also visited OPG’s Nuclear Sustainability Services – Western Facility, where nuclear waste is currently safely stored in the interim, in dry storage containers, after it has cooled in the fuel bays. Participants had first-hand observation of dry storage containers (DSC’s) containing the used fuel bundles. Tour guides explained the processes of transporting, welding, painting, and monitoring that the DSC’s undergo from the fuel bay, until they are stored and monitored in the warehouse.

“The safe management and storage of nuclear by-products is an essential component to the nuclear energy cycle and OPG is thrilled to share its Nuclear Sustainability Services – Western facility with the next generation of South Bruce.” said Kaitlyn Nevill, Senior Communications Advisor for OPG.

“The tour was very informative and interesting! Viewing the used fuel dry storage at the OPG building gave me a better sense of what would be placed into a deep geological repository, and the measures taken prior to ensure safe storage,” said Teeswater resident and the South Bruce Nuclear Exploration Team development student, Alena Cassidy.

The #NextGenNetwork concept was developed as a result of the 2021 South Bruce Youth Engagement Strategy Report, which aims “to see youth fully engage, informed and thriving in their community of South Bruce.” #NextGenNetwork events have engaged community members with diverse offerings of events including community cleanups, trivia nights, career development panels, and youth-focused workshops.

On June 14th, #NextGenNetwork will be hosting it’s Third Annual Community Cleanup in South Bruce. Those who wish to participate in the community cleanup can complete the registration form on the Municipal website. Additional information will be shared with the public in the weeks ahead.

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