Speakers
Description
In Finland, the waste producer has the responsibility to manage the nuclear wastes produced, including the final disposal. The Finnish nuclear power companies dispose their own low and intermediate level wastes (LILW) in the repositories located at the nuclear power plant sites at Loviisa and Olkiluoto. Having the whole chain from waste production, handling, transportation and disposal of the LILW within a single organisation has proven to be a straightforward and cost-effective way to manage and dispose of the nuclear waste produced. The disposal of spent nuclear fuel at Olkiluoto is managed by Posiva, a company which is jointly owned by the both power companies.
An existing disposal solution promotes sustainable use of nuclear energy in near future, but also protects the environment after the repository closure. However, implementing and demonstrating a safe disposal consumes resources and therefore creates a challenge for sustainability. A balance between (long-term) safety goals and effective utilisation of resources has been established using a graded approach, where both the repository depth and engineered barriers are adjusted to the radioactivity content of wastes. The disposal plans are also periodically reviewed taking into account the results and uncertainties of the most recent long-term safety case. These are also considered in the on-going R&D-program to ensure safe and effective disposal.
