Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 5 hrs ago
Finland approves the world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository
Finland has approved operation of the Onkalo nuclear waste repository in Eurajoki, in the country’s southwest.
Construction began 22 years ago, and the site is the first of its kind to receive approval to operate.
Onkalo is designed to hold spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors, with a capacity of 6,500 tonnes of uranium.
The fuel will be sealed in corrosion-resistant copper containers and placed in deep tunnels in stable rock, with clay and concrete used to seal the openings.
The waste will remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years, while much nuclear waste around the world is still kept in temporary storage.
Posiva must complete tests and inspections before storage begins, and Finland’s nuclear safety authority must verify and approve them.
No opening date has been set, though the site is expected to enter service soon.
Finland has granted an operating permit to Onkalo, the world’s first permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel.
The underground site is at Eurajoki in south-western Finland, in stable bedrock.
Construction began 22 years before the permit was announced, according to Posiva, the company managing the site.
Onkalo is expected to enter service soon, but no precise date has been set.
Before storage begins, Posiva must complete tests and inspections that Finland’s nuclear safety authority must verify and approve.
- Who
- The Finnish government granted the permit; Posiva manages the site.
- What
- Finland approved an operating permit for Onkalo, the world’s first permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel.
- When
- The approval was announced on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Construction began 22 years earlier.
- Where
- Onkalo is at Eurajoki in south-western Finland.
- Why
- The repository is intended to permanently store spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Construction of the Onkalo repository began.
The Finnish government granted the site an operating permit, Posiva announced.
Posiva will carry out commissioning tests and inspections for verification and approval by Finland’s nuclear safety authority.
- Repository
- Onkalo
- Location
- Eurajoki, south-western Finland
- Capacity
- 6,500 tonnes of uranium
- Waste source
- Spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors
- Estimated cost
- $1.16 billion
3 sources
Finnland: Weltweit erstes Endlager für Atommüll darf in Betrieb gehen
Un "grand jour historique": 22 ans après le début de sa construction, la Finlande donne son feu vert au premier site de stockage définitif de déchets nucléaires au monde
Finland licenses world's first permanent nuclear waste repository
What people are saying
A great historic day for Posiva and for Finland