The world's first permanent nuclear waste repository will open this year on the island of Olkiluoto in Finland, designed to store high-level nuclear waste 450 meters underground for 100,000 years.
Onkalo storage facility
Disposal process
Radioactive waste disposal procedure It begins at the plant, where automated devices place spent nuclear fuel rods into durable copper and cast iron containers two stories high. These multi-ton containers are then lowered via a special elevator into a deep underground cavity carved into 2-billion-year-old crystalline rock. Each chamber can accommodate 30 to 40 of these barrels filled with concrete. The total storage capacity is designed for 3,250 containers or 6,500 metric tons.
No external signs
According to Pasi Tuohimaa, communications manager at Posiva, Finland's nuclear waste agency, there will be no visible traces of the storage facility on the surface. No one, including future generations or even aliens, will be able to guess its existence.
Long approval process
Building such a facility is not an easy task, but convincing the local community to accept it is even more difficult. Such approval could take decades, but is based on the principle that generations benefiting from nuclear energy should participate in and pay for the waste solution.
Selecting a location
Finland began searching for a suitable storage site in 1983. Over ten years, the government reviewed four locations, assessing public opinion along with geological and environmental criteria. The town of Eurajoki, with a population of over 9,000 people, provided the greatest social support and the best natural conditions. In 2000, the city council approved the project because two nuclear power plants were already operating within 13 km, and a third one would come online in 2023, supplying a third of Finland's electricity needs.
Glossary
- Posiva - Finnish nuclear waste management agency
- Olkiluoto - a sparsely populated Finnish island in the Baltic Sea
- Onkalo (Finnish "cavity", "cave") - the name of an underground nuclear waste storage facility in Finland
- Rodney Ewing - mineralogist and materials scientist at Stanford University, co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation
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Answers to questions
When will the world's first permanent nuclear waste storage facility open?
At what depth will waste be stored in the Onkalo storage facility?
What is Onkalo's storage capacity?
Why do engineers try to hide the appearance of a nuclear storage facility?
How did Finland get local approval to build a nuclear storage facility?
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Discussion of the topic – “No one will guess”: Finnish Onkalo nuclear waste repository is the world's first 100,000-year repository
The world's first permanent nuclear waste storage facility, Onkalo, opens in Finland. It is designed to store waste for 100,000 years without outward signs of presence.
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София
Wow, this is truly a revolutionary solution for storing nuclear waste! It seems the Finns have thought everything through well. 💡 I like the idea of completely hiding the object from the outside world. This will ensure maximum security for many millennia to come.
Ганс
Yes, a truly impressive project! I was amazed that they spent so long preparing for its implementation. Obtaining public approval for the placement of such a facility is not an easy task. But the Finns were able to find a compromise and convince people of the safety of the storage facility. 👏
Мария
I agree, the process of approving the location took twenty years! But now they can be confident in the support of local residents. And the opening of the storage facility is certainly an important step for the entire nuclear industry. 🔋
Збигнев
Yes, the Finns are at their best as always! 👍 Construction of such a large-scale complex underground is not an easy task. But, taking into account all safety measures, this is a guaranteed reliable solution for storing nuclear waste for many millennia.
Агнешка
What I liked most was the idea that we should not pass the recycling problem on to future generations. Those who use nuclear energy must ensure the safe disposal of their waste. This is a very responsible and correct approach! 🌳
Гюнтер
What nonsense, why fence such a garden? 🙄 This is just a colossal waste of money and resources. It would be easier and cheaper to keep waste on the surface in special containers. Besides, who knows what will happen in a hundred thousand years. What if technology changes and these deposits can be processed?
Тереза
Oh, Gunther, you're at it again! 😄 It’s clear that this is too radical and excessive for you. But think about future generations - will they want to deal with our nuclear waste? The Finns did everything to protect their descendants for thousands of years to come. And this is worthy of respect.
Карло
And I’m curious, how much money was invested in the construction of Onkalo? Although, probably, the costs are justified, because this is a truly unique object. Years later, Finland can become a leader in the field of safe disposal of nuclear weapons and offer its technologies and methods to other countries. 💰