A tunnerl inside the Onkalo repository for nuclear waste in Finland. (C) AFP
A vast network of tunnels 400 metres underground that has been under construction for nearly 20 years will soon begin operating as the world’s first spent nuclear fuel disposal facility – locking away radioactive uranium deep beneath the Earth’s surface for thousands of years. It is hoped the Onkalo facility in Finland will provide a solution to the problem of how to safely store the world’s nuclear waste.