Grant: Alliance Grants

Given the baseload challenges associated with many green energy techniques, nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as a key part of Canada's goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada (NWMO) has the federal mandate to manage the long-term care of Canada's used nuclear fuel in a socially acceptable, technically sound, and environmentally responsible way, with a plan that relies on the safe, long-term storage of nuclear waste in a deep geological repository. The regulatory framework requires NWMO to demonstrate that the repository will be safe for a million years, and thus the design must consider the potential for future glaciation cycles and permafrost formation. This partnership addresses the impacts of very long-term changes in climate on permafrost distribution and groundwater flow, and the implications for deep geological repositories for nuclear waste. The research project will use computer models to investigate long-term permafrost formation and thaw under glaciation cycles and consider how the distribution of permafrost impacts upward groundwater flow and contaminant transport from aquifers beneath permafrost. The impacts of fault zones on heat transfer, groundwater flow, and contaminant transport will be a particular focus. Researchers from Dalhousie University and McGill University are partnering with the NWMO to ensure the research findings are translated to improve safety assessments for deep geological repositories. This work will also interface with CatchNet, an international research network funded by NWMO and several nuclear waste management organizations in northern Europe. Results of this project will help inform the safe long-term storage of nuclear waste in Canada and thereby contribute to a science-based transition to a lower carbon future.