Finland Poised to Open World's First Permanent Nuclear Waste Repository

Finland has officially granted an operating license for Onkalo, the world's first permanent underground repository designed for spent nuclear fuel. The license was issued by the government on Thursday to the waste management company Posiva, which operates the facility located in western Finland.

While this license does not permit immediate opening, Posiva anticipates operations to commence soon. However, no definitive opening date has been set, despite construction beginning 22 years ago.

"This is a great and historic day for both Posiva and Finland," stated Ilkka Poikolainen, Chief Executive Officer of Posiva. He added that before final disposal can begin, Posiva must complete the commissioning stage, including necessary tests and inspections that will require verification and approval from STUK, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.

The Onkalo facility, whose name translates to "cave" in Finnish, is designed to hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium. It will provide long-term storage for spent fuel originating from Finland's five nuclear reactors. The disposal process involves encasing the fuel in highly corrosion-resistant copper canisters, which will then be lowered into boreholes drilled into the bedrock. These boreholes will be sealed with bentonite clay and a steel-reinforced concrete plug.

The spent nuclear fuel will remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years. Posiva estimates that after approximately 100,000 years, its radioactivity levels will be comparable to that of the original uranium ore.

Globally, countries have been grappling with the challenge of managing dangerous nuclear by-products since the inception of nuclear power plants in the 1950s, with most spent fuel currently in temporary storage. Although other nations, including Sweden and France, are developing final repositories, Finland is expected to be the first to operationalize its underground storage facility.

The estimated cost for the Onkalo site is $1.16 billion.