Chris Schneidmiller
RW Monitor
11/13/2015
The government of Finland on Thursday said it had approved the world’s first license for construction of a spent fuel disposal facility.
The fuel encapsulation plant and disposal facility is to be built by 2023 on Olkiluoto Island, home to the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant. It will house used fuel from the plant and the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. Up to 6,500 metric tons of uranium can be deposited at the site, according to a government press release.
"The construction licence granted now is the first in the world for a spent nuclear fuel disposal facility. Finland is an international pioneer in nuclear waste management, which also obliges us to take care of matters responsibly and safely in the future. Finnish expertise also provides us with commercial opportunities in developing nuclear waste management in other countries," Economic Affairs Minister Olli Rehn said in the release.
Builder Posiva Oy, a specialist in spent fuel disposal, said it anticipated beginning construction in late 2016. In order to secure the license to operate the facility, it is required to prepare studies on the site’s environmental impact, retrieving the spent fuel, potential dangers in transporting the material, and “any changes that may have been introduced to the project,” the government said.
The encapsulation facility will encase the spent fuel within copper canisters, after which they will be transported to the disposal site tunnels 400-450 meters underground and placed into final disposition holes sheathed in a bentonite buffer.
The project cost, including construction and a century of operations, is projected at $3.8 billion, Reuters reported.
Posiva, established in 1995, is a joint operation of utilities Teollisuuden Voima Oyj and Fortum Power & Heat Oy.
“This pioneering project is important not only for Finland, but also on a global scale,” Posiva President and CEO Janne Mokka said in a prepared statement. “It is the first project entering into construction phase in the whole world. I express my thanks and appreciation to all the experts and partners in Finland and in other countries, who have joined their forces and expertise in this unique and multidisciplinary project.”
Australia Announces Six Possible Nuclear Waste Storage Sites
Meanwhile, the Australian government on Thursday announced that it had winnowed the number of potential low-level radioactive waste storage sites to six. The government received 28 nominations this year during a nationwide selection process, according to a press release from Josh Frydenberg, minister for Resources, Energy, and Northern Australia.
“Each nominated site was subject to an objective and evidence-based assessment by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, with the assistance of an Independent Advisory Panel and Geoscience Australia,” the release says. “The Government has assessed the nominations against technical, economic, social, and environment factors.”
The shortlist encompasses Sallys Flat in New South Wales; Hale in the Northern Territory; Cortlinye, Pinkawillnie, and Barndioota, all in South Australia; and Oman Ama in Queensland.
The release says the nation holds enough low-level waste to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools, including material used in medical care and laboratory gear such as paper, plastic, and glass products. In excess of 100 facilities nationwide, including hospitals and universities, have received licenses to hold the material temporarily.
The facility will also be able to hold a certain amount of intermediate-level waste, the government said. That would encompass steel rods from the nation’s sole nuclear reactor, which is used primarily for medical and research purposes, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science now plans more than four months of dialogue with stakeholders in the six areas. Their feedback will lead to cutting the list to two or three locations, with the ultimate siting planned by the end of 2016.
