STUK: Positive Decision on the Safety Assessment of the Low and Intermediate-Level Waste Final Disposal Facility in Olkiluoto
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland has issued its decision on the periodic safety assessment of TVO's (Teollisuuden Voima Oyj) final disposal repository for low and intermediate level waste at the Olkiluoto power plant. According to the decision, the level of safety of the Olkiluoto final disposal repository for low and intermediate level waste (operating waste repository) is good in terms of both operational safety and long-term safety. STUK states that the licensee has the required procedures and resources available for the continuation of repository operation.
TVO submitted the periodic safety assessment of the final disposal repository for low and intermediate level waste (operating waste repository) in Olkiluoto to the authority in December 2021. Under the Nuclear Energy Act, a periodic safety assessment is required on the operating waste repository at intervals of 15 years. The previous safety assessment was conducted on the operating waste repository in Olkiluoto in 2006 and the next is to be carried out by the end of 2036.
The Olkiluoto operating waste repository was completed in 1992. The silos of the repository are designed for the final disposal of low level maintenance waste and solidified liquid wastes generated in the operation of the power plant.
The spent fuel generated at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, which is high level waste, is for the time being stored in an interim storage. Posiva Oy is about to start the safe final disposal of spent fuel in mid-2020s.
Responsible implementation of nuclear waste management is a fundamental part of the overall nuclear electricity production process. Pursuant to the Nuclear Energy Act, each nuclear power licensee is obliged to arrange for controlled disposal of the waste they generatre. The principle is to isolate all radioactive waste from organic nature until the activity of the waste has decreased to a non-hazardous level.
For further information, please contact:
Johanna Aho, Head of Communications, tel. +358 40 729 0822
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