Regulatory review status for the Micro Modular Reactor Project

The Global First Power (GFP) Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) Project involves a proposal for the site preparation, construction, operation and decommissioning of an MMR plant at the Chalk River Laboratories site in Renfrew County, Ontario, approximately 200 kilometres northwest of Ottawa. GFP’s proposed MMR Project would provide process heat to an adjacent plant via molten salt and produce up to 45 megawatts (thermal) of process heat to generate electrical power and/or heat over an operating lifespan up to 40 years.

CNSC authorization is required in the form of a licence issued under subsection 24(2) of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act in order for the proposed MMR project to proceed. Currently, GFP is seeking CNSC approval for a licence to prepare site. However, before the Commission can make a licensing decision on this proposal, CNSC staff must complete an environmental assessment (EA) under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). Although the Impact Assessment Act came into force on August 28, 2019, it contains provisions for ongoing projects to be completed under CEAA 2012. This means that the CNSC will continue to lead the review of the MMR Project.

The completion of an EA under CEAA 2012 involves producing an EA report based on the information in GFP’s project description, a final environmental impact statement (EIS) and other supporting documentation.

CNSC environmental assessment process

CNSC staff must review the evidence and provide information on whether the proposed MMR Project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects before the Commission can proceed with its licensing decision. The CNSC will make this information available as a Commission member document (CMD) prior to a public hearing.

Environmental assessment start date: July 15, 2019

Reference number: 80182

Application submitted

Date	Activity
March 20, 2019	GFP submission of licence to prepare site application

Assessments

Date	Activity
July 15, 2019	Notice of commencement of an environmental assessment
July 15, 2019	Public comments invited on GFP’s project description
January 27, 2020	Notice of first participant funding offering: Scope of EA review
June 20, 2020	Commission hearing on the scope of the EA
July 16, 2020	Record of decision on the scope of the EA (PDF, 275 KB)
May 9, 2022	Notice of second participant funding offering: Draft EIS review
June 30, 2023	Additional information for the GFP licence to prepare site (LTPS) for a micro modular reactor at the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) site submitted to the CNSC
To be confirmed	GFP submission of the draft EIS and licensing documentation
To be confirmed	CNSC and federal/provincial technical review of draft EIS and licensing documentation
To be confirmed	Public comments invited on draft EIS
To be confirmed	CNSC open houses
To be confirmed	GFP submission of final EIS and licensing documentation
To be confirmed	Notice of third participant funding offering: Public hearing participation
To be confirmed	CNSC staff CMD and EA report available for public review
To be confirmed	Public intervention deadline

Public hearing

To be confirmed

Commission decisions

To be confirmed

Licence issued

To be confirmed

Compliance activities

To be confirmed

Contact

For general CNSC updates, subscribe to the CNSC’s mailing list. For information directly related to this project, please contact:

Doug Wylie, Environmental Assessment Officer
Email: MMR-MRM@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
Telephone: 343-542-7668 or 1-800-668-5284

Mailing address:

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
PO Box 1046 Stn B
Ottawa, ON K1P 5S9

Additional resources

• Update on Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor Project (February 2022)
• Proposed nuclear facility – Global First Power Micro Modular Reactor Project 
• GFP’s proposed MMR Project at Chalk River, Ontario
• GFP–CNSC Administrative Protocol for the Micro Modular Reactor Project at Chalk River Environmental Assessment (EA) & Power Reactor Site Licence (PRSL) Application
• Update on Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor Project (July 2021)
• Environmental assessment - Micro Modular Reactor Project
• Canadian Impact Assessment Registry – Micro Modular Reactor Project
• Small modular reactors
• Webinar: Regulating small modular reactors (video)
• Webinar: Global First Power’s proposed Micro Modular Reactor Project (video)