Finland

1
Finlands Approach to Licensing of Geological
Repository

• Tero Varjoranta
• Director, Nuclear Waste and Material Regulation
• STUK

2
Status after 30 years work

• Political commitment since 1983
• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Up-to-date regulatory framework
• Site selected with public acceptance 2001, 1st
  phase under construction
• Site confirmation ongoing
• Encapsulation facility and Engineered
  Barrier System under design, analysis and
  development,
• Several safety assessments done

3
Keys to Success in Finland

• Long term political commitment to resolve the
  issue
• Clear liabilities
• Well defined regulatory framework
• Sustainable licensing principles
• Over 30 years step-by-step regulatory process and
  implementation
• Clear and well functioning funding scheme
• Discipline

4
Most important Clear political commitment to
resolve the issue

• Governments strategic Decision in Principles
  1983, -91, -95
• Only safe can be built, safety can not be
  compromised by other requirements or demands
• Three step licensing
• Decision-in-Principle Public and political
  acceptance, local veto-right
• Construction license and Operating license
  Safety technical issues

5
Sustainable licensing principles when developing
regulations (1)

• We must take care of our waste
• We must not leave nuclear waste as a burden to
  future generations
• No future detriments exceeding currently
  acceptable levels
• Use of todays proven and robust technology and
  defence-in-depth principles
• Being transparent, open and competent
• International cooperation, but able to manage our
  nuclear waste without foreign support
• Passively safe repository and no reliance on
  long-term surveillance
• Retrievable, but safe and protective
• No unjustified delays in the implementation
  process

6
Sustainable licensing principles when developing
regulations (2)

• Robust passively safe repository system natural
  and engineered barriers
• Radiation protection criteria specified
  separately for different time periods
  (Operational period, reasonably predictable
  future, era of extreme climate changes, farthest
  future)
• Long time frame cycles (100 000y) manageable in
  old and stable Finnish bedrock
• Olkiluoto bedrock, where repository 1st phase is
  under construction, has experienced 19000 of
  these time cycles, including many glacial cycles
  (in Finland scientific traces seen from 7
  glaciations)
• mechanically stable
• chemically stable
• mosaic-type structure

7
What happens next in licensing?

• 2000/2001 Decision in Principle the Finnish
  Society accepted the Olkiluoto Repository
• 2009 November EU-27 Peer Review to STUK
• 2012 Construction License submittal
• Authorization to construct deposition tunnels,
  deposition holes and other underground facilities
• Authorization to construct encapsulation plant
  EBS components
• No nuclear waste to be introduced into repository
  
• Pre-license application (maturity test) by the
  end of 2009
• 2020 Operating License submittal
• Introduction of nuclear waste into encapsulation
  and repository
• Fixed period with full safety review at 15 y
  intervals (or as specified in license)

8
Thank you!