Ministry requests comments on Posiva Oy’s operating licence application for an encapsulation plant and disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel by 15 September

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment requests comments on Posiva Oy’s application for an operating licence that the company submitted to the Government on 30 December 2021 for an encapsulation plant and a disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel. The encapsulation plant is located above ground and an underground repository of the disposal facility is located in the bedrock at a depth of approximately 400–430 metres in Olkiluoto, Eurajoki.

Posiva Oy’s operating licence application is processed by Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The company is applying for the operating licence for a period from March 2024 to the end of 2070. During that time, the majority of the spent nuclear fuel of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s nuclear power plant in Olkiluoto and Fortum Power and Heat Oy’s nuclear power plant in Loviisa would be disposed of in Posiva’s disposal facility. 

Posiva’s encapsulation plant and disposal facility are expected to operate until the late 2120s, or until the disposal of all the spent nuclear fuel from the nuclear power plants of Posiva’s owners.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment requests statements from several authorities, organisations and municipalities in the affected area, and provides citizens and communities with an opportunity to express their opinions. These statements and opinions will be taken into account when the operating licence application is processed. 

The Ministry is also prepared to organise a seminar for the authorities during the licence application processing. The Ministry also requests a statement on the safety of the encapsulation and  the disposal facility from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will process the operating licence application according to the Nuclear Energy Act. The Government will decide later whether to grant the operating licence.

In November 2015, the Government granted Posiva a construction licence and the construction began in December 2016. Posiva launched the construction of an underground research facility, ONKALO, in June 2004 based on a Government decision-in-principle and under the supervision of STUK. It is an integral part of the disposal facility.

Comments can be submitted via different channels until 15 September

A notice concerning the start of the processing of Posiva’s operating licence application will be published on 8 February 2022 in the following newspapers: Helsingin Sanomat, Turun Sanomat, Satakunnan Kansa, Hufvudstadsbladet, Länsi-Suomi, Loviisan Sanomat and Östnyland. The notice will be published on 9 February 2022 in the newspapers Raumalainen and Nya Östis. In addition, a request for comments on the project is available online in the www.lausuntopalvelu.fi service and a public notice is posted on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s website at: https://tem.fi/posivas-operating-licence

Comments are requested via the Lausuntopalvelu.fiLinkki toiselle sivustolle consultation service by 15 September 2022. Please submit your opinion by responding to the request published at the web site. If comments are submitted in that manner, they need not be separately sent to the Ministry. To submit your comments, please register and sign in to the lausuntopalvelu.fiLinkki toiselle sivustolle web site. All opinions received are public and will be published on lausuntopalvelu.fi.

If you do not wish to register for the service, you can also send your comments by email to the Registry of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment at kirjaamo.tem(at)gov.fi or by mail to the Registry of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, PO Box 32, FI-00023 GOVERNMENT. The visiting address of the Registry is Ritarikatu 2 B, 00170 Helsinki. Please include the register number VN/34352/2021 in all comments.

Inquiries:
Linda Kumpula, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 50 412 4425 (licence processing)
Samu Myllymaa, Project Manager, Posiva Oy, tel. +358 40 701 2313 (project)