Inside the world’s first nuclear waste tomb in Finland

Published

3 years ago

October 17, 2022

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The world’s first geological tomb for nuclear waste is rapidly taking shape more than 400 metres below the forests of Finland.

Batches of lethally radioactive uranium will start arriving within two years for burial in the warren of tunnels carved into the bedrock.

Other countries, including the UK, are considering plans to build their own geological disposal facilities, which should safely isolate the 260,000 tonnes of highly radioactive waste that has accumulated worldwide since the dawn of nuclear power in the 1950s.

Sky News was given rare access to the site, called Onkalo, which means “cavity” in Finnish. It is built next to three nuclear reactors on the country’s southwestern coast.

Security was so tight in the aftermath of the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline that there was a strict no-filming rule above ground.

But we were taken down the 5km access road that winds through the bedrock, so deep that our ears popped.

At the bottom, further tunnels fanned out. So far five have been completed, but up to 100 could be built over the coming decades, stretching to more than 40 miles in all.

Our guide was Sanna Mustonen, a geologist and senior project manager for Posiva, the company that runs the facility.

She said the bedrock was formed almost two billion years ago and has remained intact ever since.

“The rock itself, like in the whole area of Finland, is very stable,” she said.

“We have old rock. We don’t have continental plates nearby, so we don’t have any earthquakes, seismicity, or things like that.”

‘There must be security’

Like other countries Finland stores spent nuclear fuel above ground in shielded bunkers while it seeks a long-term solution.

But Mika Pohjonen, managing director of Posiva, said it would be irresponsible to leave such dangerous waste where it could fall into the wrong hands.

He told Sky News: “If you look at history, 300 years back, how many wars have there been in Europe, for example?

“On the surface the interim storage needs active measures from humans, the building needs to be heated, the spent fuel must be cooled, there must be security around it.

“If you look a generation forward you cannot really see that that kind of arrangement would be risk-free enough.”

Various solutions to the nuclear industry’s waste problem have been suggested, including: launching it into deep space, burying it in an ocean trench and dropping it into a fissure in the Earth’s crust.

They’ve been dismissed as unfeasible, expensive or environmentally risky.

‘Safe for one million years’

Instead, Posiva will encase spent nuclear fuel in double-layered metal cannisters that will slot into holes bored in the floor of the tunnels.

To keep them dry, they will be swaddled in bentonite, an absorbent material used in cat litter.

More bentonite will be used to backfill the tunnels, which will be plugged with concrete.

When the complex is full in around a century’s time, with perhaps as many as 3,250 cannisters, it will be sealed up and all trace removed above ground.

“It will be safe for one million years,” Mr Pohjonen said.

“There may not be humans here any more because in that time there will be ice ages or [this area will be] underwater but this is designed to keep it out of the biosphere.”

Dummy cannisters are already buried in bentonite and surrounded by sensors.

Some scientists have warned water could corrode the metal, become radioactive and then rise to the surface over millennia.

But Posiva says the multiple barriers keep the waste in and water out. And if there was a leak in a highly unlikely worst-case scenario, modelling shows that by the time any water reached the surface in 10,000 years the radioactivity would have decayed so much that it would not be a threat to life.

Finland’s progress has been watched closely by other countries. Sweden has begun construction of its own deep geological disposal site. France, Switzerland and the UK are further behind.

A shortlist of four possible sites in Cumbria and Lincolnshire has been drawn up.

Bruce Cairns, chief policy adviser at the UK’s Nuclear Waste Services, was also taking a look at Onkalo while we were there.

He said responsible permanent disposal for waste is essential as the country commissions a new generation of reactors.

“We have 70 years’ worth of waste in the UK that’s already accumulated from energy production, defence and industrial processes.

“It’s not going anywhere unless we do something with it. We have to take action to make sure this is managed responsibly, not just for now but for the long term as well.”

Key to Finland’s progress has been engagement with the local community.

Locals in favour

The nearest settlement is Eurajoki, about 10 miles away.

The existing nuclear reactors were already big local employers and when the area was selected from a shortlist of disposal sites the local authority voted overwhelmingly in favour.

Vesa Lakaniemi, the town’s mayor, said: “We have had nuclear power here for 40 years.

“People know about nuclear and final [waste] disposal much more than in the areas which don’t have a nuclear power plant.

“Trust has developed over four decades.”

World

Egypt and Iran complain to FIFA after World Cup match scheduled to coincide with Seattle Pride event

Published

38 mins ago

December 10, 2025

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Egypt and Iran complain to FIFA after World Cup match scheduled to coincide with Seattle Pride event

Iran and Egypt have complained after FIFA scheduled a World Cup match between the two nations in Seattle to coincide with the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride festival.

Seattle’s PrideFest 2026, which organisers say regularly sees more than 200,000 participants, takes place on 27 and 28 June – immediately following the match.

Local organisers have said the 26 June game at the Seattle Stadium will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington”.

In Iran, where gay couples can face the death penalty, the president of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, condemned the decision to use Seattle as a venue and the timing of the match.

Mr Taj told Iranian state TV: “Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point.”

He said Iran would bring up the issue at a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week.

The football federation in Egypt, where Human Rights Watch says people from LGBTQ+ communities face persecution, said in a statement that it had written to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran.”

The letter also stated: “Information had circulated indicating the local organising committee’s decision and plans to hold some activities related to supporting homosexuality during that match” and the federation “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies”.

In Seattle, the local organising committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament,” having already promoted an art contest ahead of the match.

It added: “We get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome.”

Seattle PrideFest has been organised in the city since 2007 by a nonprofit group which designated the 26 June match for celebration before FIFA carried out the World Cup draw on Friday.

On Saturday, FIFA announced the Egypt-Iran game had been allocated to Seattle instead of Vancouver, where the teams’ group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time.

FIFA has been asked for a comment.

World

Iceland to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation

Published

38 mins ago

December 10, 2025

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Iceland to boycott Eurovision over Israel's participation

Iceland has announced it is boycotting next year’s Eurovision over Israel’s participation in the competition, saying taking part would “neither be a source of joy nor peace”.

The announcement from Iceland‘s RUV follows withdrawals by broadcasters from the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia.

In a statement, RUV said participation of Israeli national broadcaster KAN had “created disunity” among members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, and the general public.

Israel‘s place in the contest was confirmed at the EBU’s general assembly last week.

The past two events have attracted protests and fan boycotts over Israel’s inclusion amid the country’s military action in Gaza. This year, there were also allegations that voting had been manipulated in favour of their contestant.

After growing criticism, members were asked to vote in a secret ballot last week, on whether they were happy with tougher new rules introduced in November, or whether they wanted a second vote on participation for 2026.

The majority agreed the changes were enough, although Sky News understands 11 countries were against accepting these without a further vote.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Spain’s RTVE, Ireland’s RTE and Slovenia’s RTV immediately issued statements announcing their withdrawal.

Becoming the fifth broadcaster to pull out, RUV made the announcement following a board meeting. It said that while the new rules address many of the concerns it has raised, it believes there are “still doubts” about whether the changes are enough.

“RUV has repeadly raised concerns that various Icelandic stakeholders, such as artist associations and the general public, were opposed to participation in the contest,” the statement said. “Furthermore, RUV had requested the EBU to exclude KAN from the contest in accordance to precedents.

“It is a complex matter which has already damaged the contest’s reputation and EBU, emphasising the necessity of a solution for all concerned parties.”

Austria, which will host next year’s show, last week said it was pleased to see Israel allowed to participate. Roland Weissmann, director-general for Austrian broadcaster ORF, said the contest was a “competition for broadcasters, not governments”.

The BBC, which broadcasts Eurovision in the UK, also said it supported the decision.

Earlier on Wednesday, Poland’s TVP confirmed its participation.

In a statement, the broadcaster said it was aware of the scale of the tension surrounding the competition and understood the emotions and concerns raised.

“However, we believe that Eurovision still has a chance to once again become a space filled with music. And only music,” a TVP statetment said.

Despite some pressure from the cultural union in Belgium for a boycott, broadcaster RTBF also confirmed its participation last week.

But the walk-outs cast a shadow over what is meant to be a celebration of the unifying power of music.

Countries have pulled out or been banned in previous years – most notably Russia in 2022, just days after the invasion of Ukraine – but this is perhap’s Eurovision’s biggest political crisis.

Noa Kirel, who represented Israel in 2023, told Sky News in an interview in October that while the situation now is “very different” to when she took part in May of that year, she believes it should not be about politics and must “focus on the music”.

Wednesday marked the final day for national broadcasters to announce whether they plan to participate next year.

The EBU says a final list of competing nations will be published before Christmas.

World

Double building collapse in Morocco leaves 22 dead and 16 injured

Published

38 mins ago

December 10, 2025

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Double building collapse in Morocco leaves 22 dead and 16 injured

At least 22 people are dead and more than a dozen injured after a double building collapse in Morocco.

The disaster in Fez unfolded while one building was hosting an Aqiqah, a traditional Muslim celebration marking the birth of a child.

This building was home to eight families, the local authorities said, while the other was unoccupied.

A survivor, who lost his wife and three children in the overnight collapse, told a local TV station that rescuers had only been able to retrieve one body.

Another survivor, interviewed by SNRT News, Morocco’s national broadcaster, said: “My son who lives upstairs told me the building is coming down.”

She added: “When we went out, we saw the building collapsing.”

Witnesses said the buildings had shown signs of cracking for some time, when interviewed at the scene by SRNT.

Both buildings, in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, were four-storeys high.

Announcing an investigation, the Fez prosecutor said 16 people had also been injured, citing preliminary figures.

Some 38,800 buildings across the country are classified as being at risk of collapse, according to Adib Ben Ibrahim, housing secretary of state.

The latest collapse is one of the worst in Morocco since a minaret fell in the historic northern city of Meknes, killing 41 people in 2010.

Fez, a former Moroccan capital, is the country’s third most-populous city, as well as one of its oldest, dating back to the eighth century.

But deteriorating living conditions, and poor public services, sparked a wave of anti-government protests there, and in other cities, two months ago.

The unrest, which was driven by younger Moroccans, revealed deep-seated anger over poverty and public services.

It comes at a time when the government is pushing ahead with ambitious infrastructure projects, including modern stadiums, ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Fez, one of the host cities, has some of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods.