Rock construction work can start on extension of SFR

On Friday the 29th of November SKB was granted a permit to commence rock construction work on the extension of the final repository for short-lived radioactive waste, SFR, in Forsmark. The permit was issued by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, SSM.

In December 2022, Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB, SKB, was granted an environmental permit from the Land and Environment Court for the extension, which meant that work above ground could begin. The SSM permit is the next important step in the licensing process under the Swedish Nuclear Activities Act, and means that SKB now can start underground work.

Stefan Engdahl, CEO, SKB. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

Stefan Engdahl, CEO, SKB. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

– This is an important step for SKB, and we’re delighted that this decision has been made so that we now can start the next phase in the extension of SFR. We now have all the permits in place to extend the facility so that we can receive operational and demolition waste from our owners. We look forward to starting rock construction work in mid-December, says Stefan Engdahl, CEO of SKB.

In March 2023, SKB submitted an application to SSM for the construction and operation of the extended SFR. The application includes a preliminary safety analysis report, system descriptions and a decommissioning plan. A new safety analysis report must be submitted and approved before the facility is commissioned.

SFR is part of SKB’s final repository system, and short-lived operational waste from Swedish nuclear power plants and radioactive waste from medical care, industry and research are already being stored in the existing facility. The existing part of the repository is located at a depth of approximately 60 metres and has a storage capacity of 63,000 cubic metres, and the planned new part of the repository will be located at a depth of 120-160 metres. The extension consists of six different waste vaults, and when the extension project is complete, the facility will have a total storage capacity of approximately 180,000 cubic metres. The extension of SFR will take about six years, involving three years of rock construction work and three years of installation work.