Posiva wins world's first licence to operate used nuclear fuel repository

· Energy · Finland

Finnish radioactive waste management company Posiva has been granted a licence to operate the encapsulation and final disposal facility for used nuclear fuel at Olkiluoto. It is the world's first repository for used fuel to receive such an operating licence. The facility is designed to encapsulate spent fuel and place it deep underground for permanent disposal, a step that has eluded the nuclear industry for decades in most countries. The licence moves Finland from construction and testing into actual operation of a geological repository.

Why it matters：A working geological repository gives the nuclear industry its first real answer to the waste question, a long-standing obstacle to public acceptance and new build.

Key points

  • The facility is located at Olkiluoto in Finland.
  • It is the first used-fuel repository in the world to receive an operating licence.
  • Posiva is owned by Finnish nuclear waste producers and has been developing the project for years.

Sources (original reporting)

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