Finland could be the first country in the world to bury nuclear waste permanently

Along with his colleagues, Janeshan Pan, a professor of corrosion science at the KTT Royal Institute in Sweden, published a study in January 2023, which was devoted to the risk of sulfides in groundwater used by copper used for nuclear fuel containers. “More work to define is necessary […] The nature and chemistry of superficial films developed in copper levels under the reservoir conditions. “

While it seems that Puziva may have the first functional reservoir, other countries follow its leadership. Swedish neighbors are also preparing to start working in their tank, which includes 12,000 tonnes of Swedish metric nuclear fuel. After completion, more than 60 kilometers of tunnel is expected to expand at a depth of 500 meters. It is an important task that has been in the painting table for 40 years and only a few months ago obtained the necessary environmental permits for construction. Construction can begin over the next decade and continue until the 2080s, although the underground space of the reservoir is gradually extended – the appeal by the Nuclear Waste Review Office, a Swedish nongovernmental organization, does not stop working. Concerns about the Swedish project are like Finnish: the risk of copper cans, which may lead to the spread of radioactive elements to groundwater.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Canada also plans to build a storage center. The reservoir still does not exist, but the path ahead seems relatively free from obstacles – at least there is no apparent law. After 14 years of discussion and discussions, relevant institutions and citizens have chosen a host site in IGNACE, Ontario, part of the native Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. Both the city and the nation were open to the project and saw it as a source of investment and new jobs.

France and Switzerland are also working on projects, they are gradually progressing, even if much of it is to achieve bureaucratic barriers. In the Meuse area in northeastern France, field work on the Cigéo project could begin in 2027 and now has received a positive assessment of their voices. Andra’s executive company has been allowed to continue programs and consider the potential impact of climate change on underground structures.

The National Radioactive Co-operative Company has been 14 years old to decide where it can find its storage facilities. It has decided to build its reservoir north of Zurich, in Nördlich lägern, because it is especially high in compact opalin clay, which is suitable for a long -term remedy for radioactive materials. (Finland is also rich in this material.) The final approval of around 2030 is subject to referendum, and the tank must start operating by 2060.

Finally, Italy considers 51 sites that can potentially be suitable for hosting the tank for storing nuclear waste. The programs were first prepared in 2015 and then released in December 2023. The government has since decided to open the process of resetting new programs. In the meantime, radioactive waste in the country is destroyed in temporary tanks on nuclear power plant sites, nuclear research facilities and nuclear medical and industry.

This story appeared first Wired Italy And translated from Italian.