Nuclear Power Demonstration Closure Project

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is proposing to decommission the Nuclear Power Demonstration Waste Facility, a former nuclear generating station that operated until 1987. The facility is located in Renfrew County, Ontario, on the south bank of the Ottawa River approximately 225 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.

The structures that currently remain onsite include the main reactor building, a diesel generator, a ventilation stack, a pressure relief duct, a guardhouse, foundations from previously removed structures, two landfills, buried utilities and drainage systems, and temporary structures such as sea containers and portable washrooms.

CNL is proposing an in situ (leaving in place) decommissioning approach.  The following activities are proposed:

  • assembly and operation of a grout batch mixing plant
  • grouting of below-grade (underground) structures
  • removal of above-grade structures for use as backfill
  • installation of concrete cap and engineered barrier over the grouted area
  • final site restoration
  • long-term care and maintenance activities

Some temporary infrastructure – such as mobile offices and washrooms, as well as an increase to the electrical services – would also be required in order to facilitate decommissioning. Water-holding tanks and fuel storage may also be required on site to support the proposed project. Additional groundwater monitoring wells would be installed, as required, to monitor the performance of the in situ decommissioned facility.

Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, CNL's proposal requires an amendment to its existing Decommissioning Waste Facility Licence issued by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). An environmental assessment (EA) conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 is required, and an EA decision affirming that the proposed activities will not cause significant adverse environmental effects, before the CNSC can make a licensing decision on this proposal.

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Latest update

July 31, 2025: The Federal Provincial Indigenous Review Team (FPRIT) has completed it’s technical review of CNL’s October 2024 revised draft EIS NPD closure project submission. The link contains the outcome letter from CNSC to CNL, the FPIRT technical review results, and additional feedback and concerns from the FPIRT.  

November 13, 2024: On October 11, 2024, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) re-submitted revised responses and supporting documentation for the proposed Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) Closure Project. CNSC staff conducted a completeness check and determined that outstanding IRs have passed completeness and supporting submissions are adequate to proceed to the EIS Technical Review. More information can be found in the November 12, 2024 letter to CNL.

The next phase of technical review by CNSC Subject Matter Experts is underway, for completion by February 10, 2025. The review includes the following documents:

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External links

Please note that access to external websites is provided solely as a courtesy. Users should be aware that the information offered by non‑Government of Canada websites that are not subject to the Official Languages Act might be available in only one language.

Contacts

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Lucia Abellan, Environmental Review Officer
280 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9
Telephone: 1-800-668-5284
Email: npd@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Rolphton (Ontario)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Nuclear Energy

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2016-05-05

  • Proponent

    Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

  • Authorities

    • Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

  • Assessment Type

    Environmental assessment under CEAA 2012

  • Reference Number

    80121

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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