Finland has taken a historic step towards the opening of the world's first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel, granting an operating licence for the Onkalo facility on Thursday, waste management company Posiva has announced. The licence, awarded by the Finnish government, marks a milestone in the decades-long effort to find a safe, long-term solution for high-level nuclear waste, though the facility is not yet operational and no exact opening date has been set.
Finland has granted an operating licence for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel, bringing the country closer to solving one of the nuclear industry's most persistent challenges.
The government handed the licence for the Onkalo facility in western Finland on Thursday, waste management company Posiva said. Onkalo, which means “cave” in Finnish, will provide permanent storage for spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors. The facility has capacity for 6,500 tonnes of uranium.
Although the operating licence does not allow the immediate start of operations, the facility is expected to begin accepting waste soon, according to Posiva. “ This is a great and historic day for both Posiva and Finland,” the company’s Chief Executive Officer Ilkka Poikolainen said in a statement. “Before final disposal begins, Posiva will finalise the commissioning stage, carrying out the necessary tests and inspections which STUK [the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority] also needs to verify and approve.”
The waste will be enclosed in copper canisters designed to be highly resistant to corrosion inside the geological repository. The canisters will be lowered into holes drilled into the bedrock, filled with bentonite clay and finally sealed with a steel-reinforced concrete plug. The waste will remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years, but after about 100,000 years the radiation levels will be comparable to natural uranium ore, according to Posiva.
Countries have wrestled with the problem of what to do with dangerous nuclear by-products since the first nuclear plants were built in the 1950s. Currently, most spent fuel is in temporary storage. Final repositories are under construction in other countries, including neighbouring Sweden and France, but Finland is expected to be the first to open such an underground storage facility. The cost of the Onkalo site has been estimated at US$1.16 billion.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Solves the long-standing problem of permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste, reducing reliance on temporary storage
- Sets a precedent for other countries (Sweden, France, and others) that are building similar geologic repositories
- Demonstrates regulatory and technical viability of deep geological disposal, potentially influencing global nuclear energy policy
Background
Nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years, making safe, permanent storage a critical environmental and safety challenge. Since the dawn of nuclear power in the 1950s, spent fuel has largely been stored in temporary facilities above ground or in shallow repositories. Finland’s Onkalo project, started construction in 2004, is the first attempt at a deep geologic repository designed to isolate waste for hundreds of millennia. The site is in stable granitic bedrock, chosen for its long-term geological stability.
Key Perspectives
Posiva (waste management company): The company views the operating licence as a historic achievement, validating decades of research and construction. It emphasizes the safety of the multi-barrier system (copper canisters, bentonite clay, concrete plugs) and the isolation of waste from the biosphere for 100,000 years.
Finnish regulatory bodies: STUK (the radiation and nuclear safety authority) has been involved in verifying and approving the commissioning tests, ensuring the facility meets strict safety standards.
Other nuclear nations: Countries like Sweden and France, which are building similar repositories, watch Finland's progress closely, as Onkalo offers a real-world demonstration that permanent disposal can be achieved, potentially accelerating their own projects.
What to Watch
- Completion of the commissioning phase and STUK approval, which will determine when actual waste emplacement begins
- Potential domestic or international legal challenges from environmental groups or neighboring countries
- Costs and timeline adherence compared to initial estimates, as delays could affect the viability of similar projects elsewhere
