Finland nearing opening of world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository

Finland granted Posiva an operating licence on Thursday for Onkalo, the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel. The licence does not yet authorize the facility to open: Posiva must complete commissioning tests and inspections for approval by Finnish nuclear safety regulator STUK, and no start date has been set. Located in western Finland, Onkalo can hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium from the country’s five nuclear reactors. The fuel will be sealed in copper canisters, placed in bedrock and secured with bentonite clay and concrete, while remaining highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years.