The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has reached a big milestone in the Ignace area.
After four years, borehole drilling is officially complete.
Officials say this is a significant step in determining whether the site can safely host a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel.
“This is an exciting moment for the NWMO,” said Lise Morton, Vice-President of Site Selection at the NWMO. “A lot of work has been done, and we literally have six kilometres of borehole samples to study. The information we gather from this work will be brought together with other data as we learn about all aspects of the proposed site.”
Equipment at the Ignace site will be removed in the coming months once downhole testing is finished.
The first borehole drilling started November 6, 2017 and since then, a total of six one-kilometre-long boreholes have been drilled in a rock formation known as the Revell Batholith, located south of Highway 17, about 35 kilometres west of Ignace, between Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation.
Borehole drilling and testing is part of site investigation, in order to determine whether the site can meet regulatory requirements.
“As part of the NWMO’s site selection process, we need to be sure that used nuclear fuel can be safely contained in the rock to ensure water, people and the environment are safe. Borehole drilling has been a big part of that,” said Bill Gascon, Site Director – Ignace at the NWMO. “We are committed to working with communities, including municipal, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area to safely site this project in an area with informed and willing hosts.”
The NWMO says member of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation were also on-site during the borehole drilling and shared information and insights with WLON.
About 200 people, including students, residents and people from the region have travelled to the Revell Batholith to learn about the NWMO’s borehole work.
Borehole drilling, coring and downhole testing is also underway at the South Bruce site and expected to be complete in summer 2022.
