Land

Nuclear plants offer the benefit of taking up small land area (typically one to four square kilometres for a 1,000 megawatt plant). They can also be built close to where electricity is needed, reducing the need to build long transmission lines.

In general, the public in Canada and the U.S. is divided in its response to the idea of building new nuclear plants. While there is a growing acknowledgement of the environmental benefits of producing energy from nuclear sources; many people remain opposed because of perceptions of the industry’s potential safety and environmental impacts, especially in highly populated areas.

Nuclear plants also generate high-level radioactive wastes that pose significant potential environmental and health risks and must be adequately stored and sequestered on site to prevent radioactive releases. The federal government’s Nuclear Fuel Waste Bureau interactive website invites comments and questions from the public and provides information about nuclear fuel waste management activities.

Most of the industry’s impacts to land occur during uranium mining. Canada has a vast supply of rich uranium deposits, mostly in northern Saskatchewan. Some of these deposits are close to the surface and are surface mined, using open pit techniques. During this process, large quantities of soil and rock are disturbed to expose and remove uranium ore.

Other deposits are found farther beneath the surface and are mined, using hard rock underground mining techniques. Underground mines also disturb land and remove materials, but to a smaller degree.

Before mining projects can proceed, developers must clear an environmental assessment review process. This allows members of the community and other stakeholders to share concerns about a project’s impact on the land and the environment as well the socio-economic issues of resource development.

Prior to beginning mining, companies must also submit to regulators a comprehensive decommissioning plan for the tailings and mine workings and post financial guarantees with regulators to cover decommissioning costs. The plan must outline all aspects of the company’s work to remove mine facilities, reclaim disturbed land, provide monitoring after decommissioning and maintain the site until the area is acceptable to be returned to the government.

Most of the nuclear industry’s impacts on land occur during uranium mining. All of Canada’s currently operating mines are in northern Saskatchewan.