The Finnish Government has granted Posiva Oy an operating license for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel. Located in Eurajoki, Finland, the facility will encapsulate and permanently dispose of nuclear waste more than 400 meters (1,312 feet) deep into 1.9-billion-year-old crystalline bedrock.

This infrastructure combines an above-ground encapsulation plant with a subterranean repository, known as Onkalo. The disposal canisters designed for this repository use a structure designed to keep radioactive spent fuel completely isolated for over 100,000 years.

The approval could move nuclear power’s biggest challenge out of temporary surface tanks and seal it thousands of feet underground forever.

“Finland’s strong safety culture underpins the production of clean energy. It is our responsibility across generations to ensure the safe and responsible use of nuclear power, from construction through to the final disposal of spent fuel. As a result of more than 40 years of systematic efforts, Finland will launch the first final disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel in the world,” said Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

Ever since the first nuclear plants emerged in the 1950s, nations have struggled to manage dangerous radioactive byproducts. Today, the vast majority of this hazardous waste remains locked in temporary storage facilities across the globe.

The new project could provide a solution. Carved into 1.9-billion-year-old crystalline rock in southwestern Finland, Onkalo (meaning “cave” in Finnish) stretches more than 400 meters underground. 

To ensure safety, the facility uses a multi-barrier defense system to isolate the waste permanently.

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