​ONKALO exhibition almost ready for opening in Olkiluoto

The exhibition, which will open in December, presents information about the research activities carried out in ONKALO to verify the suitability of Olkiluoto bedrock for final disposal. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to find out more about the release barriers utilised in final disposal and to test one’s own capabilities in the multidimensional world of final disposal research. The equipment and machinery designed for final disposal purposes as well as the construction of the final disposal facilities in the future are also topics covered in the exhibition.

The research tunnel of the operating waste repository at a depth of 60 metres also gives an idea of the true scale of final disposal; investigations related to e.g. excavation of tunnels and drilling of deposition holes have in fact been earlier carried out in the research tunnel. Prior to the construction of ONKALO, the tunnel facility was utilised for research purposes with three final disposal deposition holes drilled and a few metres of a final disposal tunnel excavated there. At present, the tunnel facility is used in the long-term durability test on concrete conducted jointly by TVO and Fortum.

The exhibition will be part of the guided tour that visitor groups can reserve in advance. The programme of the guided tour includes a welcome coffee, a visit to the Electricity from Uranium science exhibition as well as a visit to the operating waste repository. The guided tour takes about three hours.