{"id":14384,"date":"2024-04-16T11:01:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T15:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cnl.ca\/?page_id=14384"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:23:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:23:52","slug":"gentilly-1-decommissioning-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cnl.ca\/environmental-stewardship\/gentilly-1-decommissioning-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Gentilly-1 Decommissioning Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Gentilly-1 nuclear generating station in B\u00e9cancour, Qu\u00e9bec, operated intermittently from 1972 to 1978. A decommissioning program was initiated in 1984 to bring the facility to a safe shutdown state. Since then, the reactor has remained safely shut down, and the facility has been in a state of safe, long-term storage with ongoing monitoring. Operations at the site are conducted under a licence issued to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The Gentilly-1 site is now partially decommissioned and is licensed as a waste facility, the Gentilly-1 Waste Management Facility (G1WF).<\/p>\n

The Gentilly-1 Waste Management Facility is owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), which has contracted CNL to manage and operate its sites. The facility is adjacent to the Gentilly-2 nuclear generating station, which was shutdown in 2012. Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec owns the Gentilly-2 facility and the land on which both facilities are located.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1748556956792{margin-top: 62px !important;}”][vc_column]

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\r\n \r\n \r\n\t\t\t\tWhat are the next steps?\t\t\t<\/h3>\r\n \r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\tCNL plans to decommission the Gentilly-1 Waste Management Facility. CNL will first request approval from the CNSC to undertake the work. This process will include opportunities for the public and Indigenous nations, communities, and organizations to provide input on CNL\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n

CNL submitted an application on July 17, 2024, to the CNSC to amend the current licence for the facility to permit decommissioning.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has announced a public hearing in writing for July 2026<\/strong> to consider CNL\u2019s application to amend the Waste Facility Decommissioning Licence (WFDL) for the Gentilly-1 Waste Facility. The amendment would authorize CNL to proceed with decommissioning all remaining buildings and structures at the site to achieve a brownfield end state. The CNSC will also assess the potential for significant adverse environmental effects under the Impact Assessment Act as part of the decision process. Participant funding of up to $75,000 is available to support Indigenous Nations, communities, and other interested parties in preparing interventions. The deadline to apply for funding is July 11, 2025, and the deadline to request to intervene is June 17, 2026<\/strong>. A decision is expected in summer 2026.<\/p>\n

For further information, you can refer to the official CNSC document: Notice of hearing in writing and participant funding<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Once the necessary approvals are in place, the reactor, which has been in safe storage since 1978, will be carefully dismantled and the resulting waste streams properly managed.\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=””][vc_column]

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\r\n \r\n \r\n\t\t\t\tThe Gentilly-1 Waste Management Facilitiy (G1WF)\t\t\t<\/h3>\r\n \r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\tGentilly-1 (G-1) is a 250-megawatt (MWe) CANDU\u00ae prototype boiling water reactor (BWR) that is permanently shut down and partially decommissioned. Located in B\u00e9cancour, Qu\u00e9bec, the reactor was commissioned in 1972 and operated intermittently until 1978. In 1984, the facility was permanently shut down and the initial decommissioning process was carried out. Since then, the reactor has remained safely shut down, and the facility has been in a state of safe, long-term storage with ongoing monitoring.\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1713222320736{padding-top: 64px !important;padding-bottom: 32px !important;background-color: #f5f5f5 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Gentilly-1 Timeline<\/h2>\n

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