Finland prepares underground repository to store nuclear waste for millennia

Operations are about to begin at Onkalo, a deep underground nuclear waste storage facility in Finland, New Scientist reported. The repository is engineered to store radioactive waste safely for at least 100,000 years. [1]

The facility features passageways carved into solid rock more than 400 metres deep underground. Allison Macfarlane from the University of British Columbia stated that facilities like Onkalo should remain intact for up to a million years to ensure long term safety. [1]

Deep geological repositories place hazardous waste within stable rock environments, typically between 200 and 1,000 metres underground. These facilities rely on engineered seals and natural geology to contain radioactive hazards without requiring future human maintenance. [2]

While several repositories worldwide already contain hazardous materials such as mercury, cyanide, and arsenic, Onkalo is currently the most advanced radioactive waste storage project under construction. [2]