Many environmental remediation projects are driven by AECL’s long-term plan to decommission the Chalk River Laboratories site. In March 2005, AECL submitted a Comprehensive Preliminary Decommissioning Plan (CPDP) to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The CPDP presents the strategy, scope, planning assumptions, and schedule as they apply to the decommissioning of the Chalk River facilities. The document represents the culmination of a major initiative that was undertaken by AECL in 2003 in concert with other government agencies to develop a conceptual technical strategy for managing the nuclear legacies on AECL sites that would:

• be consistent with modern international standards and practices;
• ensure the health, safety and security of the public and employees, and protect the environment; and
• address regulatory requirements and expectations.

Decommissioning and waste management obligations on AECL managed sites have arisen from a wide variety of sources. These include Federal Government facilities used during the ”Cold War”, before AECL was incorporated in 1952, wastes received for safe storage from universities, medical facilities, government and industry from across Canada, and from production of medical isotopes, and research and development (R&D) programs in support of Canada’s nuclear industry.

At the request of the Government of Canada, AECL is moving forward on a path to achieve international best practices for managing Canada’s decommissioning and waste management obligations for its nuclear facilities. Funding for the new long-term strategy was announced 2006 June 2 by the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources Canada and amounts to $520 million over the next five years.

The new Government of Canada’s long-term strategy reflects several important changes including the acceleration in timing of the decommissioning activities and the inclusion of the construction and operational costs of new infrastructure and treatment facilities required to permit waste processing, storage and long-term management. AECL’s newly formed Liability Management Unit will implement the new plan on behalf of the federal government.

As a nuclear operator, AECL must also decommission facilities at the end of their operating life in accordance with the plans filed with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). Decommissioning these facilities will involve safely dismantling the facility and processing any radioactive material for appropriate disposal.