Finland nearing opening of world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository
Summary
Finland has given permission to operate the world’s first permanent underground nuclear waste storage facility called Onkalo. The facility will store spent nuclear fuel in copper canisters underground, and it is expected to start operations soon, though no exact date is set yet.Key Facts
- Finland approved an operating license for Onkalo, the first permanent nuclear waste repository in the world.
- Onkalo is located in western Finland and was developed by the waste management company Posiva.
- The facility will store spent nuclear fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors.
- The waste will be sealed in copper canisters that resist corrosion and placed deep underground in bedrock.
- The storage holes will be filled with clay and sealed with concrete to contain the waste safely.
- The nuclear waste will remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years, but after about 100,000 years, its radioactivity will be similar to natural uranium ore.
- Other countries like Sweden and France are building similar sites, but Finland is expected to open its facility first.
- The cost of building Onkalo is estimated at $1.16 billion.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
