Micro Modular Reactor Project
The Impact Assessment Act (IAA) came into force August 28, 2019. Ongoing projects with environmental assessments initiated under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) and led by the CNSC, will continue under their current processes. The IAA contains provisions to enable these projects to advance in this way.
Start date: July 15, 2019
Reference number: 80182
Proponent: Global First Power (GFP)
Location: Deep River, Ontario
Visit the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (CIAR) website for all information and documentation related to the project.
Latest update
- July 19, 2022 – Update on Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor Project
- February 7, 2022 - Update on Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor Project
- May 9, 2022 - Participant funding to review the draft environmental impact statement for Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor project
- October 8, 2021 - GFP-CNSC Administrative Protocol for the MMR Project at Chalk River Environmental Assessment (EA) & Power Reactor Site Licence (PRSL) Application
- July 29, 2021 - Update on Global First Power’s Micro Modular Reactor Project
- August 19, 2020 - Record of Decision on the scope of the environmental assessment for GFP Micro Modular Reactor project (PDF, 18 pages, 275 KB)
- June 18, 2020 - Supplemental submission from CNSC staff on the proposed scope of factors to be considered in the conduct of the environmental assessment (PDF, 23 pages, 545 KB)
- April 29, 2020 - Submission from CNSC staff on the proposed scope of factors to be considered in the conduct of the environmental assessment (PDF, 35 pages, 1 MB)
- April 28, 2020 - Disposition table of comments from public and Indigenous groups and organizations on the project description for the Micro Modular Reactor Project
- March 24, 2020 - Revised notice of an opportunity to submit a Written Intervention on the Scope of an Environmental Assessment (PDF, 2 pages, 245 KB)
- January 27, 2020 - Notice of Participant Funding and an opportunity to submit a Written Intervention on the Scope of an Environmental Assessment (PDF, 2 pages, 172 KB)
- August 9, 2019 - Updated public notice: Public comment period extension for proposed Micro Modular Reactor Project at Chalk River
- July 15, 2019 - Public comments invited on project description
- July 15, 2019 - Notice of Commencement of an Environmental Assessment
About the project
On July 12, 2019, the CNSC received a project description from Global First Power for the issuance of a licence to prepare the site for a Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) at the Chalk River Laboratories site, located in Renfrew County, Ontario, approximately 200 km northwest of Ottawa.
The proposed project includes a nuclear plant, which would contain a MMR High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor that would provide process heat to an adjacent plant, via molten salt. The MMR would produce approximately 15 Megawatt (thermal) of process heat to generate electrical power and/or heat, over an operating life-span of 20 years.
CNSC authorization in the form of a licence issued under subsection 24(2) of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act is required in order for the project to proceed.
Before the Commission can consider an NSCA licensing decision regarding Global First Power’s proposal, an environmental assessment (EA) conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 is required. The purpose of an EA is to identify the possible environmental effects of a proposed project, determine whether these effects can be mitigated and whether there are any remaining significant adverse environmental effects before the project is allowed to proceed.
The environmental assessment will consider all licensing phases, including site preparation, construction, operation, and decommissioning.
Further information
The public registry for this project is maintained on the CIAR. If you wish to receive email notifications when the CNSC’s website is updated, including notices for hearings, meetings and Participant Funding Program funding opportunities, please subscribe to the CNSC mailing list. For questions or information directly related to this EA, please contact:
Aimee Rupert
Environmental Assessment Officer
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
P.O Box 1046, Station B
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9
Telephone: 613-943-9919 or 1-800-668-5284
Fax: 613-995-5086
Email: ea-ee@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
The CNSC regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada's international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.
Additional resources
Page details
- Date modified: