Finland’s Nuclear Energy Act states that nuclear waste must be handled, stored, and disposed of permanently in Finland. The country’s nuclear waste management company, Posiva Oy, expects to begin disposal operations in 2023 at the Olkiluoto bedrock on Onkalo Island.
Onkalo is the world’s first permanent nuclear storage site. The site is located next to three of Finland’s nuclear power stations and will permanently bury spent nuclear fuel rods deep underground. The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority has concluded that the Onkalo bedrock characteristics are favorable for ensuring the safety of spent nuclear fuel.
The repository program is based on the KBS-3 concept. Spent nuclear fuel packed in copper canisters will be embedded in the bedrock at a depth of around 400 meters.
Finland has the technology to reuse nuclear waste multiple times. Reusing nuclear waste means getting more energy from one fuel rod and only having to store the resulting nuclear waste for 200–500 years.