is currently sitting in interim storage facilities, according to International Atomic Energy Agency estimates.A common solution is to fill swimming-pool sized areas with the waste and cover it. Some countries, including France, recycle uranium to make new fuel and byproducts. Both are expensive. The
Nuclear power currently makes up around 26 per cent of Finland’s energy. The opening of a third nuclear reactor at Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant will bring energy production up to 1,600 megawatts, powering a third of Finland’s electricity, in accordance with ambitious climate targets. Finland has committed to becomingby 2035, and Helsinki has pledged to beat that target by another five years – closing down its only remaining coal factory by 2024, half a decade ahead of schedule.
It’s a disappointing but temporary fix – one that is necessary given the unreliability of wind and solar power, explains Jukka Leskelä, managing director for Finnish Energy. “Finland is effectively an island – its Nordic borders are arctic and the border it shares with Russia is now strictly shut,” he says. “To say that we need to find new ways of becoming self-sufficient is an understatement. Nuclear is a realistic solution.
Inside the facility, which has also piqued interest from other European governments seeking to dispose of nuclear waste
an interesting read