Work Instructions for the Environmental Assessment and Licensing Process

The Environmental Assessment (EA) process starts when the CNSC receives an application and a project description for a new nuclear facility project (“nuclear project”).

The EA is a planning tool used by federal authorities to predict whether a proposed nuclear project is likely to cause environmental effects and to determine whether those can be mitigated. The EA process takes into consideration the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and its regulations. All applications for new nuclear projects require an EA to be carried out. Only one EA is required for a new nuclear project, even if that project requires separate licences for different phases (i.e. licence to prepare site, licence to construct, etc.).

During the EA stage, the CNSC provides an applicant with project-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines to guide an applicant about what should be examined in the project’s EA to undertake technical studies.

Once an applicant has carried out technical studies for an EA (based on the EIS Guidelines), the applicant submits the EIS documentation to the responsible authority. The EIS examines the potential environmental effects and mitigation measures for all phases of the nuclear project.

EAs provide opportunities for public participation in activities undertaken by the potential licensees and/or the CNSC, including Aboriginal consultations. Learn more about Environmental Assessments.

This is the Technical Assessment stage of the EA process. It consists of a rigorous review by the CNSC staff of the EIS for a nuclear project. An Assessment Plan and Work Instructions guide the technical assessment by identifying the scope and depth of the evaluation of an EIS.

An Assessment Plan outlines the order for conducting the review, while the Work Instructions provide instructions to the CNSC staff on what needs to be assessed.

This is the EA Decision stage of the process, where:

• the CNSC staff submits to the responsible authority a report with recommendations for an EA decision, including all appropriate mitigation measures.
• a decision is then made on the EA by the responsible authority — whether a project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, taking mitigation measures into account. A positive decision regarding the EA is needed before any licensing decision can be made with respect to the nuclear project (see Licensing Diagram)

The Licence Application Submission stage of the licensing process starts when the CNSC receives an application and a project description for a new nuclear facility project (“nuclear project”). The preparation of a licence application needs to consider all regulatory criteria as defined by the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, relevant regulations, CNSC requirements and expectations, international and domestic standards, and applicable international obligations.

This is the Technical Assessment stage of the licensing process. It consists of a rigorous review by the CNSC staff of the licence application for a nuclear project. The assessment is done against all regulatory criteria as defined by the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, relevant regulations, CNSC requirements and expectations, international and domestic standards, and applicable international obligations.

An Assessment Plan and Work Instructions guide the technical assessment by identifying the scope and depth of the evaluation of an application.

An Assessment Plan outlines the order for conducting the review, while licensing-related Work Instructions provide instructions to the CNSC staff on what needs to be assessed.

This stage of the licensing process will allow the CNSC staff to prepare recommendations for a decision on the licence application.

This is the Licence Decision stage and final step of the licensing process. In this stage, the CNSC staff will prepare recommendations about a licensing decision for a nuclear project in a Commission Member Document (CMD) that is submitted to the CNSC Commission Tribunal for review. For a licensing decision to be made, an Environmental Assessment (EA) decision about a nuclear project must first be made (see EA Diagram). If an EA decision is positive, the CNSC Commission Tribunal can make a licensing decision about the application.

During the review of the licence application, the CNSC Commission Tribunal holds public hearings to take into account the views, concerns and opinions of interested parties and intervenors.