World's first permanent nuclear waste site wins license in Finland

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🗞️ Driving the news: Finland has granted an operating licence to Posiva for the Onkalo facility, bringing the world’s first permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel closer to operation
• Located in Eurajoki, the underground site is designed to isolate radioactive waste deep beneath the bedrock for up to 100,000 years

🔭 The context: The facility combines an above-ground plant, where spent fuel is sealed in corrosion-resistant copper canisters, with an underground repository around 400 metres below the surface
• Bentonite clay and reinforced concrete provide additional barriers against the movement of radioactive materials
• Onkalo is designed to hold up to 6,500 tonnes of spent fuel, equivalent to approximately 3,300 canisters

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: A permanent repository addresses one of nuclear energy’s central environmental challenges: managing radioactive waste over very long timescales
• By developing a long-term disposal solution, Finland is also advancing the infrastructure needed to manage nuclear power’s waste responsibly as countries consider its role in low-carbon electricity systems

⏭️ What’s next: Posiva would need to complete testing and obtain STUK’s approval before the first spent-fuel canisters can be placed underground
• Finland’s progress may also offer a reference point for other countries, including the United States, which still lacks an operating permanent repository for commercial spent nuclear fuel

💬 One quote: “It is our responsibility across generations to ensure the safe and responsible use of nuclear power, from construction through to the final disposal of spent fuel.” — Sari Multala, Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment

📈 One stat: Onkalo is designed to store up to 6,500 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel, approximately 400 metres underground

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