Nuclear fuel is deposited at SKB´s interim storage facility, also called Clab, in two storage pool systems 30 metres down in the bedrock. The water shields against radioactivity and cools the hot fuel. Radioactivity and heat generation are reduced over time, and after temporary storage the fuel has become easier to handle later in a final repository.
Large capacity
Today approximately 5,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel are temporarily stored in the facility. This is done with constant supervision and control. The facility has been extended since the millennium shift and has a current total capacity of 8,000 tonnes.
Final repository required
SKB’s interim storage facility safely meets today’s needs, but it does not offer a long-term solution. Since spent nuclear fuel must be isolated for a very long time, it requires a repository that is safe even without supervision. For this reason, the fuel will eventually be placed in copper canisters and transported to the final repository that SKB plans to build in Forsmark.