Finland Could Be the First Country in the World to Bury Nuclear Waste Permanently

Finland Could Be the First Country in the World to Bury Nuclear Waste Permanently. In March, Finland successfully completed the first test of its encapsulation plant, which, if finished, will become the world’s first permanent underground storage facility for radioactive waste. Since the arrival of nuclear power in the 1950s, more than 400 reactors in 31 countries have produced about 430,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, and until now no one has developed a permanent solution for disposing of it. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that about 30 percent of this fuel has been reprocessed—elements in spent fuel can be recycled to create new fuel for nuclear plants—but the rest has been “parked” in temporary storage systems, with its final destination yet to be determined. And with the nuclear sector showing signs of undergoing a renaissance—as countries look to decarbonize energy production and with the tech sector seeking ways to power its electricity-hungry AI systems—the pressure for nuclear-waste disposal is likely to grow.

Wired 23rd April 2025

https://www.wired.com/story/finland-is-developing-a-permanent-way-to-deal-with-spent-nuclear-fuel/ ;