Finland gives green light to nuclear waste repository
Posiva becomes the first in the world to receive a licence for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel.
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The Finnish government has granted Posiva an operating licence for the encapsulation and permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel at Olkiluoto. The decision clears the way for the first permanent storage facility for commercial nuclear waste, although technical checks still have to be completed.
The facility is located on the island of Olkiluoto, on Finland’s west coast. Posiva plans to package spent nuclear fuel in metal canisters there and store it deep underground. The licence covers the encapsulation plant and the underground Onkalo storage facility.
According to Posiva, this is the world’s first operating licence for a facility intended to store spent nuclear fuel permanently. The project has been in preparation for decades. In August, the Finnish regulator STUK issued a positive safety assessment, after which the government was able to grant the licence.
The licence does not mean that the storage facility is immediately fully operational. Posiva must complete the final commissioning tests, and the regulator must check whether the facility meets the conditions. The company has not yet given a final date for when the first spent fuel will be stored.
Onkalo is ultimately expected to be able to contain approximately 6,500 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel. The storage will take place hundreds of metres underground in stable rock. Spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for a very long time; the purpose of deep storage is to shield the material from the living environment over an extended period.
The Finnish decision is also relevant to other countries that use nuclear power and do not yet have a permanent solution for their radioactive waste. It shows that long-term storage can be made technically and administratively feasible, but it does not resolve the debate over costs, oversight and safety over very long periods.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Finnish government granted Posiva an operating licence for Onkalo.
- The facility is intended for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel.
- STUK previously issued a positive safety assessment.
- Final tests and regulatory oversight must still take place before the storage facility is fully operational.
Left
Arguments Permanent storage could make the legacy of nuclear power more manageable, but the costs and risks are being passed on over very long periods. From this perspective, producers should pay, oversight should remain independent and the expansion of nuclear power should not automatically follow from this licence.
Values Precaution, intergenerational justice, public control, and protection of the living environment and health.
Consequences Supporters of this approach fear that a technical success will be used to justify new nuclear power stations without sufficient attention to waste, costs and long-term responsibility.
Centre
Arguments A permanent repository is probably wiser than storing waste above ground indefinitely, provided that licensing, monitoring and funding are robust. The institutional approach is to take decisions step by step and separate technical assessment from political desirability.
Values Expertise, reliability, continuity, and balance between energy supply and risks.
Consequences This position accepts nuclear power as a possible energy source, but wants waste management to be arranged in advance and each subsequent stage to be reassessed.
Right
Arguments A functioning permanent repository removes an important objection to nuclear power and shows that a stable state can organise complex infrastructure across generations. From this perspective, Finland should retain scope for nuclear power as a source of security of supply and industrial competitiveness.
Values Energy security, technological progress, national responsibility, and economic continuity.
Consequences Supporters are mainly concerned that lengthy procedures and political hesitation will slow the energy transition and keep countries dependent on fossil fuels or imports.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The licence, location, storage capacity and sequence of the next inspections can be found in the sources cited. The text avoids claiming that the project has definitively resolved all long-term risks.
- confirmed Finland granted Posiva an operating licence on 22 October 2026. — Reported by Posiva in its statement of 22 October. source
- confirmed This is the world’s first licence for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel. — Posiva and the independent second source describe it as a world first. source
- confirmed The storage capacity is approximately 6,500 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel. — Mentioned in independent reporting on Onkalo. source
- confirmed The facility does not automatically become fully operational after the licence is granted. — Reports state that final tests and regulatory oversight are still required. source
Editor's note
The granting of the licence and its status as the first in the world have been confirmed by Posiva and an independent second source. Technical safety is based on STUK’s assessment; long-term safety remains subject to oversight and debate.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „finland olkiluoto”
- Het Parool — „finland olkiluoto”
- Trouw — „finland olkiluoto”