Radioactive Waste Management in Sweden: Decision-Making in a Context of Scientific Controversy

Abstract

In early 2022 the Swedish government took a decision to allow the construction of a repository for spent nuclear fuel at the Forsmark nuclear power plant. This chapter describes the long process that preceded the decision and started in the 1970s. Both the siting of the repository and the case made for its long-term safety has seen controversies. In particular, there has been a science-based debate on the long-term safety of using copper as a material for encapsulation of the spent nuclear fuel. The government’s decision relied on claims from the industry and the nuclear regulator that the Swedish KBS multi-barrier concept could still be safe enough. Whether this view will survive the coming decade until the repository will be ready for operation remains to be seen.