Posiva, a company specializing in nuclear waste management, announced on Thursday that the Finnish government has granted it an operating license for the world's first permanent repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, a step that comes 22 years after the start of its construction.
Agence France-Presse quoted Posiva's CEO, Ilkka Puolakka, in a statement: "The repository, known as 'Onkalo,' is located in the Eurajoki region in southwestern Finland, and has been excavated within stable bedrock dating back approximately 1.9 billion years, with the aim of containing spent nuclear fuel and isolating it from the environment for thousands of years," describing the signing day as "great and historic" for both Posiva and Finland.
Preliminary tests before commissioning
Puolakka clarified that the actual start-up date has not yet been determined, noting that the company will complete the trial operation phase and conduct necessary tests and inspections, with the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority verifying and approving the results before commencing final disposal operations.
Puolakka pointed out that the repository's capacity is approximately 6,500 tons of uranium, sufficient to accommodate spent nuclear fuel from Finland's five nuclear reactors.
Technologies to isolate waste for thousands of years
According to the statement, spent nuclear fuel will be placed in highly corrosion-resistant copper canisters, which will then be lowered into holes drilled within tunnels in the rock, surrounded by bentonite clay, before the tunnels are sealed with steel-reinforced concrete, aiming to isolate radioactive materials from the surrounding environment.
Highly radioactive nuclear fuel remains dangerous for tens of thousands of years, and company estimates indicate that its radiation levels after approximately 100,000 years will become nearly equivalent to those of the uranium ore from which it was made.
Finland precedes other countries in final storage
Countries that have used nuclear energy since the 1950s are seeking safe solutions to deal with spent fuel and radioactive waste, while large quantities of it remain stored in temporary storage facilities.
Other countries, including Sweden and France, are developing permanent underground repositories, but Finland is expected to be the first country to begin operating such a facility for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The cost of the "Onkalo" project is estimated at approximately $1.16 billion.
Posiva is located in Finland, headquartered in the island of Olkiluoto, part of the Eurajoki municipality on the country's west coast, where it established the "Onkalo" repository, dedicated to the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel deep within the rock, which is the world's first permanent geological repository of its kind.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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