Finland is on the verge of becoming the first nation to bury spent nuclear fuel rods deep underground for the long term. Erika Benke visits the Onkalo site to find out more.
I think criticisms of nuclear waste disposal are 100% valid. Finland is the only place I’ve heard of doing more than giving theoretical lip service to long term disposal. It’s been 4000 years since we were building pyramids in Egypt, yet people act like safely storing spent nuclear waste for 100k years is something trivial. Aside from the cost of building new nuclear plants the quickly dropping prices of renewables makes the argument for nuclear power even more tenuous. No doubt it (nuclear) is far better for the planet and people than coal or gas powered plants, but that’s a tired, outdated argument.
I think criticisms of nuclear waste disposal are 100% valid. Finland is the only place I’ve heard of doing more than giving theoretical lip service to long term disposal. It’s been 4000 years since we were building pyramids in Egypt, yet people act like safely storing spent nuclear waste for 100k years is something trivial. Aside from the cost of building new nuclear plants the quickly dropping prices of renewables makes the argument for nuclear power even more tenuous. No doubt it (nuclear) is far better for the planet and people than coal or gas powered plants, but that’s a tired, outdated argument.