Canada tests nuclear waste storage site in Oakville

September 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM2 min

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Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organisation has developed a test site in Oakville for storing spent nuclear fuel. The facility uses autonomous machines to stack bentonite clay blocks around copper-coated steel containers in a rock tunnel. The final repository is planned for Ignace, Ontario, with operations expected around 2040.

Key Facts

High-level waste, mostly spent fuel, accounts for about 3% of nuclear waste volume but contains 95% of its radioactivity.
A conventional 1 GW nuclear plant produces about three cubic meters of vitrified high-level waste per year.
The NWMO test site in Oakville uses a driverless forklift to stack 8,000 kg bentonite clay blocks in a rock tunnel.
The final repository is planned for Ignace, Ontario, at a depth of about 750 meters in the Canadian Shield, with operations expected around 2040.
The repository is designed to hold nearly 6 million bundles of spent fuel from Canada's four nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Waste Challenge

Nuclear power is gaining popularity as governments seek to diversify energy sources and reduce fossil fuel reliance. Disposing of nuclear waste remains a complex task with no perfect solution. Nuclear waste is categorized into low-, intermediate-, and high-level radioactive waste. Most waste from nuclear plants is lightly contaminated items like tools and clothing, with radioactivity around 1%. High-level waste, primarily spent fuel, makes up about 3% of total volume but contains 95% of radioactivity.

Oakville Test Facility

The Nuclear Waste Management Organisation (NWMO) has built a test site in Oakville, Canada. At the site, a driverless forklift stacks 8,000 kg bentonite clay blocks into a narrow rock tunnel. Another autonomous machine fills gaps around the blocks with crumbled clay. Each block encases a copper-coated steel container designed to hold spent nuclear fuel. The containers are sealed behind clay and concrete in deep underground tunnels to allow radioactive decay over thousands of years.

Final Repository Plans

The NWMO plans to build the final repository 1,600 km northwest of the test facility in Ignace, Ontario. The repository will be buried at a depth of about 750 meters in the hard rock of the Canadian Shield. Once complete around 2040, it is expected to store nearly 6 million bundles of spent fuel from Canada's four nuclear power plants. The metal fuel containers are designed to withstand pressure equivalent to being buried under a 3-kilometre-thick glacier. They have been tested for resistance to crushing under force equivalent to over 6 km underwater.