Finland nearing opening of world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository
News Source
•Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:50:26 +0000
📰 What Happened
Finland has given an operating licence to the world's first permanent storage site for used nuclear fuel. The site is called Onkalo, which means “cave” in Finnish. It sits deep underground at Olkiluoto in western Finland.
The government approved the licence on Thursday, the waste company Posiva said. The licence does not open the site straight away. Workers still need to finish tests and inspections before the first fuel is buried, and no exact start date has been set.
🔍 The Backstory
Finland began digging the tunnels 22 years ago. The site can hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium. Used fuel will be sealed inside copper canisters and lowered into deep rock, where it should stay safe for a very long time.
Most countries still store used nuclear fuel above ground while they wait for a permanent answer. Finland is the first to get this far. Supporters say the project shows that nuclear power can deal with its waste problem.
🎯 Why It Matters
Nuclear plants make lots of energy with almost no carbon. Onkalo shows whether the waste can be kept safe for a very long time, which matters for every country using reactors.
Finland has given an operating licence to the world's first permanent storage site for used nuclear fuel. The site is called Onkalo, which means “cave” in Finnish. It sits deep underground at Olkiluoto in western Finland.
The government approved the licence on Thursday, the waste company Posiva said. The licence does not open the site straight away. Workers still need to finish tests and inspections before the first fuel is buried, and no exact start date has been set.
Finland began digging the tunnels 22 years ago. The site can hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium. Used fuel will be sealed inside copper canisters and lowered into deep rock, where it should stay safe for a very long time.
Most countries still store used nuclear fuel above ground while they wait for a permanent answer. Finland is the first to get this far. Supporters say the project shows that nuclear power can deal with its waste problem.
Nuclear plants make lots of energy with almost no carbon. Onkalo shows whether the waste can be kept safe for a very long time, which matters for every country using reactors.