Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Ontario
Proposal from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to Decommission the NRX Ancillary Buildings
Environmental assessment start date: February 28, 2007
Type: Screening
CEAR reference number: 07-01-27095
Proponent: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
Location: Chalk River, Ontario
Latest Updates
Project Description
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has received notice from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) of its intent to proceed with the decommissioning of the National Research Experimental (NRX) Ancillary Buildings located at the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) in Chalk River, Ontario.
The NRX ancillary buildings were designed and constructed in the mid-1940’s to provide services in the now shutdown NRX research reactor. The NRX ancillary buildings included in the project description are:
The buildings were essentially all brought to a safe shutdown state following the permanent shut down of the NRX reactor facility in 1992. Building 101X continued to be used until 1999. The buildings are currently in the “Storage with Surveillance” phase.
AECL is proposing decommission the NRX ancillary buildings over several years, with one or two structures decommissioned in any given year. The final end-state involves the complete removal and site remediation for some buildings, while others may be partially removed and taken to an interim end-state. In the latter case, above ground structures may be removed but the below grade concrete basements or footings will be weatherproofed. The removal of the below grade structures will be timed to occur with the removal of other large concrete structures at the site.
The goal is to return the land occupied by all the buildings to the CRL site landlord by 2025.
Before the Commission Tribunal renders its decision on AECL's licence amendment application, an environmental assessment must be completed in compliance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The purpose of an environmental assessment is to identify the possible environmental effects of a proposed project, and to determine whether these effects can be mitigated before the project can be considered for licensing by the Commission Tribunal.
Further Information
For questions or information directly related to the environmental assessment of the proposed project, or to obtain copies or a list of documents related to this environmental assessment, please contact:
Marie-Pierre Grondin
Environmental Assessment Officer
Environmental Assessment Division
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
P. O. Box 1046, Station B
Ottawa, ON
K1P 5S9
Phone: 1-800-668-5284
Fax: 613-995-5086
Email: ceaainfo@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
CNSC regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment and to respect Canada's international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
