The world's first permanent repository for nuclear fuel waste will open this year on Olkiluoto Island, Finland, but convincing people to live nearby remains a challenge.
The Onkalo repository, built 1,500 feet underground in Finland, will store spent nuclear fuel rods in copper and cast iron casks designed to last 100,000 years.
The U.S. aims to triple its nuclear energy capacity by 2050 but lacks a long-term plan for nuclear waste, which is mostly stored in temporary facilities.
Consent-based siting, which involves gaining community approval, is seen as essential for future waste storage projects in both the U.S. and Canada.
Key quote:
"The plan is that there will be no sign [of the facility]."
— Pasi Tuohimaa, communications manager for Posiva, the agency managing Finland’s nuclear waste
Australia has to make the case it is an attractive place to live with a solid commitment to renewable energy to counter America’s Inflation Reduction Act, experts say.
In the seaside town of Dawlish in south-west England, engineers are working night and day to protect its 175-year-old railway from the modern day threat of climate change.
Weeks of high water following a hurricane, tropical storm and rain is putting wildlife and tree islands in danger in the Everglades wilderness, risking what state wildlife officials are calling a pending ‘catastrophe.’
