“Finland has granted an operating licence for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel…

Although the move does not allow the opening of the facility, it is expected to start operations soon, the firm said. However, 22 years after construction began, no exact date has been decided yet…

With space for 6,500 tonnes of uranium, Onkalo, which means 'cave' in Finnish, will provide permanent storage for spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors.

The fuel will be enclosed in copper canisters that are highly resistant to corrosion inside the geological repository. The canisters will then be lowered into holes drilled into the bedrock, which will be filled with bentonite clay and finally sealed with a steel-reinforced concrete plug.

The waste will remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years. After about 100,000 years, the levels will be about the same as the uranium ore of which the fuel is made, according to Posiva.”

From Al Jazeera.