With the start of construction, Sweden has become one of the leading countries in finding a permanent solution to managing its spent nuclear fuel. In October 2024, SKB received an environmental permit and an enforcement order from Sweden’s Land and Environmental Court, allowing work on the repository to begin. The permit also includes the building of a spent fuel encapsulation plant at the central interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at Oskarshamn, about 200 miles south of Stockholm.
Next steps: According to SKB, the construction of the repository, which is located about 86 miles north of Stockholm, will take 10 years before disposal can begin, after which the repository will be gradually extended over a long period. The groundbreaking marks the start of two years of preparatory work above ground, including the construction of a rock mass storage and water treatment plant, a bridge over the cooling water canal, and forest clearing. After that, work to go down into the bedrock will begin.
Quote: “This is a historic day for the Swedish nuclear waste program,” said Stefan Engdahl, chief executive officer of SKB. “We’re taking an important step and breaking the ground for a final solution for spent nuclear fuel. This sees us creating good conditions for continued fossil-free electricity production.”
Spent fuel repository by the numbers:
• The final repository will be located at a depth of around 500 meters (1,640 feet) in rock that is 1.9 billion years old.
• It is planned to hold approximately 12,000 metric tons of spent fuel in 6,000 canisters.
• The surface section will cover a total area of 24 hectares (59 acres), the equivalent of 44 soccer fields.
• When fully extended, the repository will contain more than 60 kilometers (37 miles) of tunnels.
• The total amount of rock that will be excavated is equivalent to 2.5 Las Vegas Spheres.
