Finland prepares launch of permanent underground nuclear waste facility

Finland is preparing to launch the world’s first permanent underground structure for storing nuclear waste, marking a major breakthrough towards finding a solution for one of nuclear energy’s most difficult problems. The Onkalo nuclear waste repository, is built deep inside 1.9 billion year old bedrock and is designed to store highly radioactive waste for up to 100,000 years. Authorities are expected to grant the facility a licence within months. A facility deep underground, hosuing thousands of tonnes of nuclear wast Onkalo (meaning “cave” in Finnish) will become the first facility to offer a long-term nuclear waste disposal solution once it...