Finland approves underground nuclear waste repository

Finland is the first country in the world to approve the operation of an underground repository for highly radioactive nuclear waste. This was announced by the country's government. Spent nuclear fuel is to be stored at a depth of 400 meters. Finland operates two nuclear power plants - Olkiluoto and Loviisa - with a total of five reactor units.

The camp was built on the island of Olkiluoto in western Finland, where the nuclear power plant of the same name is also located. It consists of an above-ground packaging plant and the Onkalo repository - which translates as "cave". The repository's operating company, Posiva, had already received the building permit in 2015, and construction work began the following year.

According to the government, a maximum of 6,500 tons of uranium may be stored in Onkalo. The spent nuclear fuel is contained in special containers consisting of a cast iron insert surrounded by a five centimeter thick copper shell. The containers are lowered into drill holes in the rock and surrounded by an additional protective layer of concrete. The camp should be closed after a maximum of 100 years.

No timetable for commissioning yet

It is not yet clear when the first nuclear waste will be stored. According to Posiva, there is still no exact schedule for the repository to be put into operation. And the way for the company is not yet completely clear. The Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority also has to give the green light after an inspection.

Finland has been storing low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste for several decades in a nearby facility at a depth of around 60 to 100 meters. Onkalo is the first final storage facility for spent nuclear fuel.

Germany has also been looking for a final storage facility for nuclear waste for years. Although the last nuclear reactors were shut down in 2023, a storage facility has yet to be found for around 27,000 cubic meters of highly radioactive nuclear waste that has been generated by more than 60 years of nuclear power. The waste is currently stored in sixteen above-ground interim storage facilities in various federal states.