Our generation must take care of the Swedish nuclear waste

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company, SKB’s task is to manage all the radioactive waste from nuclear power plants in Sweden in a safe way.

Since the middle of 1960s we have been using electricity generated by nuclear power in Sweden. We who have benefited from this electricity also have a responsibility to future generations to deal with the waste it has given rise to. We must have a solution that can function without monitoring and control and will also be safe in the very distant future.

SKB is owned by the nuclear power companies. They have a statutory duty to manage the disposal of Swedish nuclear waste and to pay for these operations.

Today we have a system for dealing with nuclear waste that works. Since the mid-1980s both the Final Repository for Short-Lived Radioactive Waste (SFR) and Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab) have been in operation. Safe transport of radioactive waste from the nuclear power plants takes place using our ship the M/S Sigrid.

Forty years of research

Since the 1970s SKB has been developing a method to enable the handling and management of spent nuclear fuel safely for long periods of time. We have undertaken research and development and have conducted studies and investigations. A number of technical breakthroughs have been achieved during this time. The method we have selected means that the fuel is placed in copper canisters surrounded by bentonite clay about 500 metres underground in Swedish bedrock.

We are now preparing for the components of this system that will deal with the encapsulation and final deposition of the spent nuclear fuel.

Construction work following environmental permit

In the early 1990s, we began searching for a suitable location. Eventually, two strong candidates remained: Forsmark and Oskarshamn. In June 2009, Forsmark was selected, as geological surveys had shown that the bedrock there was best suited for the purpose.

In March 2011, SKB applied to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority and the Land and Environment Court for permission to build the Spent Fuel Repository in Forsmark and an encapsulation plant in Oskarshamn. After both Oskarshamn and Östhammar municipalities approved the facilities—in 2018 and 2020 respectively—the Swedish government granted permission in January 2022.

Following the government’s decision, the matter returned to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority and the Land and Environment Court, which set conditions for the facilities. In October 2024, SKB received an environmental permit with immediate enforcement from the Land and Environment Court, allowing above-ground construction to begin. To commence underground rock work, SKB must obtain approval of its safety assessment from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority.