How much nuclear waste exists in Canada and how is it being managed now?
There are just over two million used fuel bundles currently in storage in Canada. In the past 40 years, enough used fuel bundles have been produced in Canada that if they could be stacked like cordwood, they would fit into a space the size of six hockey rinks from the ice surface to the top of the boards. Once they are removed from the reactor, used fuel bundles are generally stored for about 10 years on site at the power plant in water-filled pools in order to cool and shield them until their radioactivity declines. They are then typically placed in dry storage containers at or near the plant. The containers have a design life of 50 years.
