Sweden has begun construction of a final deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel, where highly radioactive waste will be stored for 100,000 years.
The construction of the repository, at Forsmark in Östhammar municipality, will take 10 years before deposition can begin, nuclear fuel management company SKB said, after which the repository will be gradually expanded.
Two years of surface work will now begin, including the construction of rock storage and water treatment facilities, a canister bridge over the cooling water canal and forest clearance. After that, rock work will begin down into the bedrock.
In October, SKB received an environmental permit to build and operate the repository at Forsmark and a related encapsulation facility at Oskarshamn.