Overview

There are two nuclear power plants in Finland, one with two Russian VVER 440s and the other with two BWRs, operated by separate utilities (Fortum and TVO). A proposal was made in 2000 to build a fifth reactor, at either of the two existing sites. This was approved by the government in January 2002 and passed in the Finnish parliament in May 2002. It was announced in October 2003 that the reactor would be built at Olkiluoto, and in December 2003 TVO selected Areva of France as lead member of a consortium to build a European Pressurised Reactor, currently under development and scheduled for completion around 2009......

The utilities are responsible for the safe management of wastes and for the necessary research and development as well as for covering the costs of the whole operation. However, following the demise of the Soviet Union, IVO (now Fortum) and TVO formed a joint company, Posiva, to carry out all disposal-related work.....

There is a shallow L/ILW repository at Olkiluoto that has been in operation since May 1992, and one at Loviisa that has been in operation since 1999.....

Following a government decision in 1991, which followed on from the Decision in Principle of the Council of State in 1983, deep disposal is the chosePosiva have continued to review the final design in the light of ongoing work at the chosen potential site at Olkiluoto.n route for spent fuel..... 

There will be an underground rock characterisation facility developed as the first stage of site-specific work, referred to by the Finnish acronym of "ONKALO"......

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