Licensing
Producers of nuclear waste must adhere to the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure (EIA procedure) when preparing a final disposal project. EIA is not a decision-making process, rather it is meant to ensure that citizens which will be directly affected by the project will have a say in the preparations of decisions.
The EIA procedure related to the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel came to a close in November 1999 when the contact authority made a judgement on the EIA report. STUK presented a statement about the EIA report drafted by Posiva. The EIA procedure must be updated before the application to build a final repository for spent nuclear fuel is submitted.
The final disposal of nuclear waste requires a Decision-in-Principle by the Government. Posiva applied for this regarding the proposed final repository site at Olkiluoto in May 1999. In the Decision-in-Principle the Government deems whether the final repository serves the overall good of society.
Broad safety evaluations are attached to the application for a Decision-in-Principle. STUK checked these with the aid of external experts and issued a preliminary safety evaluation and statement to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (currently Ministry of Employment and the Economy) in January 2000. STUK concluded that there are no safety-related obstacles to giving the Decision-in-Principle.
In January 2000, the municipality of Eurajoki approved the final repository being located at Olkiluoto, and the Government made its Decision-in-Principle in December of the same year. The Finnish Parliament confirmed its validity in October 2001. A year later a supplement to the DiP was added which concerned spent nuclear fuel at the third nuclear reactor unit at Olkiluoto.
Construction of the facility can only begin once the Government has granted a separate construction licence for the implementer. For the operation of the facility, another licence is required before nuclear waste can be taken to the repository. The granting of an operating licence also falls under the jurisdiction of the Government.
