Science & health
Finland licenses world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel
Finland has granted an operating licence for Onkalo, the first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel, though operations will begin only after commissioning tests and regulatory verification. The facility is designed to hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium from Finland’s five reactors. Fuel will be sealed in copper canisters, surrounded by bentonite clay and placed deep in bedrock for isolation over geological timescales. Most nuclear waste worldwide remains in temporary storage.
Editorial summary · Publisher article
What matters
- Construction began 22 years ago, but no precise opening date has been set.
- The waste is expected to remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years.
- The site’s estimated cost is $1.16bn.
Context & caveats
- The licence does not itself authorize final disposal; commissioning and safety verification remain.
Why this made the edition
Reports a major nuclear-waste milestone with concrete engineering details, regulatory conditions and implications for long-term radioactive-waste management.
Source material