Finland grants operating licence for world's first permanent nuclear waste repository

The short version

• Finland's government has granted an operating licence for Onkalo, in western Finland, the world's first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel.[Al Jazeera]
• The licence does not yet allow the facility to open, though waste management company Posiva says operations are expected to start soon.[Al Jazeera]
• No exact start date has been decided, 22 years after construction began, and the site's cost is estimated at $1.16 billion.[Al Jazeera]
• Onkalo has space for 6,500 tonnes of uranium to store spent fuel from Finland's five nuclear reactors.[Al Jazeera]

Key facts

• Finland's government granted an operating licence for Onkalo, in western Finland, which waste management company Posiva announced on Thursday.[Al Jazeera]
• Onkalo has space for 6,500 tonnes of uranium and will provide permanent storage for spent fuel from Finland's five nuclear reactors.[Al Jazeera]
• The cost of the Onkalo site has been estimated at $1.16 billion.[Al Jazeera]
• Posiva said the licence does not allow the facility to open yet, but operations are expected to start soon.[Al Jazeera]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Finland nearing opening of world’s first permanent nuclear waste repositoryAl Jazeera