The Finnish government has granted an operating license to Posiva, a company responsible for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, to encapsulate and permanently dispose of nuclear waste from the Olkiluoto and Loviisa nuclear power plants.
What happened
The license was granted after the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) issued a favorable statement regarding the facility's safety. The facility, located in the Olkiluoto power plant area, consists of an above-ground encapsulation plant and a final disposal repository built at a depth of over 400 meters.
Posiva is authorized to possess, process, store, and dispose of a maximum of 6,500 uranium tonnes of spent nuclear fuel. The company must ensure the safe implementation of the project, while its owners, Teollisuuden Voima Oyj and Fortum Power and Heat Oy, are responsible for ensuring sufficient financial resources.
The license conditions include the submission of periodic safety assessments and updated long-term safety justifications. STUK will supervise Posiva's operations and can require remedial measures to improve safety if necessary.
The final disposal operations are expected to continue until the 2120s, after which the repository will be backfilled and closed. The responsibility for the spent nuclear fuel will then be transferred to the state.
