Moltex Energy Canada Inc. announced that it has developed a new nuclear waste management technology. The Waste to Stable Salt (WATSS) process reportedly transforms used nuclear fuel into a valuable asset, reducing waste volumes and creating economic opportunities for nuclear waste owners and utilities. Moltex says it has successfully validated WATSS on used fuel bundles from a commercial reactor in Canada with the support of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) following seven years of rigorous development. WATSS reportedly cuts nuclear waste volumes by converting it into clean, dispatchable energy while permanently destroying long-lived transuranic elements, including plutonium. Moltex says it has demonstrated that it can extract 90 per cent of the transuranic material in 24-hours, with greater efficiency over longer periods of time. For utilities and governments, the company says this means greater energy security, fuel independence and a commercially viable alternative to conventional disposal strategies. “It’s crucial that increased demand for nuclear energy is matched by increased back-end fuel cycle capabilities,” said Rory O’Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, Moltex Energy. The Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has supported the development of this technology. The development of WATSS was also supported by the Province of New Brunswick and NB Power. Engineering partners IDOM and CANDU Energy Inc, an AtkinsRéalis company, have provided critical expertise in advancing this groundbreaking process from concept to commercialization. Indigenous communities including the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council New Brunswick are also supportive of the technology having invested in its development. “The North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council’s investment in Moltex was driven by the potential to make nuclear more sustainable and reduce nuclear waste liability,” said Jim Ward, General Manager, North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council. “Moltex also engaged with us at the earliest stages of the project. We are pleased to see this important milestone being met and look forward to more to come in the future.”