Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, 4th Finnish National Report as referred to in Article 32 of the Convention

This is the Finnish National Report, in accordance with the provisions of the Article 32 of the Joint Convention, to the 4th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties in May 2012. The aim of this report is to present the recent developments of waste management in Finland, to describe waste management facilities and practices in Finland and, for discussion and review among contracting parties, to describe how the obligations under the Convention are fulfilled in Finland. There were major developments in safety of spent fuel managements and safety of radioactive waste management in Finland during the reporting period 2008–2010. The main focus of activities was the spent fuel disposal project, where preparedness for the submittal of a construction license application is approaching. This has required extensive effort, from both the regulator and the implementer, in research, technical development and development of organizations. As spent fuel is defined in legislation as radioactive waste in Finland, the nuclear power plants at Loviisa and Olkiluoto are the main generators of radioactive waste. Fortum Power and Heat Oy operates two VVER units at the Loviisa site and Teollisuuden Voima Oyj two plant units at Olkiluoto. The Loviisa units 1 and 2 were commissioned in 1977 and 1981, and the Olkiluoto units 1 and 2 in 1978 and 1980, respectively. In addition, a new nuclear power plant unit is being constructed at the Olkiluoto site. The Decision-in-Principle, the first step in licensing decisions, was made by the Government for two new reactors, one for Teollisuuden Voima Oyj at the Olkiluoto site and one for Fennovoima Oy, which will make a decision between two alternative sites in 2011. At the Olkiluoto and Loviisa sites there are interim storages for spent fuel as well as final repositories for medium and low level radioactive wastes. Furthermore, a Triga Mark II research reactor is operated in Espoo by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. During the reporting period, the Finnish fuel cycle policy continued to be based on the once-through option. During the reporting period the Finnish NPPs operated and produced spent fuel and radioactive waste as expected. The level of safety in spent fuel management and radioactive waste management was high. Activities and programs continued to be developed and improved in accordance with the Finnish national strategy, milestones and timetable. The licensees and Posiva Oy, the Decision-In-Principle holder for a spent nuclear fuel disposal facility, have shown good safety performance and safety management practices in carrying out their responsibilities in spent fuel and radioactive waste management in existing NPP’s as well as in developing the final disposal project further.