Finland

Nuclear regulatory authority

Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is an independent governmental organisation for the regulatory control of radiation and nuclear safety in Finland (safety, security and safeguards). STUK was established in 1958 and it has about 350 staff members.

The mission of STUK is to protect people, society, the environment and future generations from the harmful effects of radiation. The goal is to keep the radiation exposure of the Finnish population as low as reasonably achievable and the level of radiation safety as high as possible, while preventing radiation and nuclear accidents.

• STUK regulates nuclear power plants, other nuclear facilities, nuclear materials and final disposal of nuclear waste.
• STUK regulates the use of radiation in health care, industry, research and training. STUK grants licenses for the use of radiation.
• For its part, STUK regulates the transport of radioactive substances.
• STUK maintains 24-hour emergency preparedness for nuclear accidents and other radiation hazard occurrences. If a radiation hazard occurs, STUK acts as the expert authority, co-operating with other authorities, organizations and experts.
• STUK monitors the presence of radiation in the environment round the clock.
• STUK monitors the presence of radon at workplaces and prepares regulations and instructions concerning radon at home.
• STUK communicates and informs its stakeholders on radiation and nuclear safety issues
• STUK also regulates the radiation safety of sunbeds, power lines, mobile phones and other devices that utilize radiation.

In the Government structure, STUK reports to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health which is responsible for the supreme authority and executive direction on the supervision of practices involving exposure to radiation. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) is responsible for the supreme command and control of nuclear energy matters in Finland. It conducts preparations and administration of the licensing process regarding a nuclear power plant, storage for spent nuclear fuel, a nuclear waste disposal facility or another significant nuclear facility. Licenses for nuclear facilities are granted by the government.

Nuclear activities

Nuclear power plants in Finland:

Fortum Power and Heat Oy owns the Loviisa NPP units 1 and 2 located in Loviisa. Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) owns the Olkiluoto NPP units 1, 2 and 3 located on Olkiluoto, Eurajoki.

The FiR 1 research reactor (TRIGA Mark II, 250 kW, in operation from March 1962 to 2015) was operated by the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). VTT is now preparing for decommissioning of the reactor and has submitted the license application for the decommissioning activities.

Radioactive waste and spent fuel management

At both current nuclear power plant sites, Olkiluoto and Loviisa there is an operating disposal facility for low and intermediate level waste from the operation of the reactors.

A joint waste management company, Posiva Oy, was established by Fortum Power and Heat Oy and Teollisuuden Voima Oyj to take care of the disposal of spent fuel from the nuclear power plants they operate. Posiva got a construction license for encapsulation plant and disposal facility from the Finnish government in November 2015. The construction works to expand the existing underground research facility into a disposal facility started in December 2016. The construction of the encapsulation plant started in 2019. Both facilities are in commissioning phase and STUK is performing oversight on these activities. Concerning the licensing STUK is currently reviewing the supporting documentation of the operating licence application concerning the encapsulation plant and final disposal facility. STUK will prepare a safety assessment to support Government's decision on the operating license. The encapsulation plant and the final disposal facility are expected to be in operation in 2025.
 

Uranium production

STUK granted the mining company Terrafame a licence for the small-scale pilot testing of the uranium extraction techniques at the Sotkamo multi-metal mine in December 2017. Parallel with this, the application for a full operating licence for the extraction plant was submitted to the government at the end of October 2017 and was processed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. STUK delivered its statement on the safety of the uranium extraction plant to the ministry in June 2019. The licence was granted by the government on 6 February 2020 with a period for complaints, and finally endorsed by the Supreme Administrative Court on 24 June 2021. According to the licence conditions, the uranium extraction shall be initiated and launched within three years, by the summer of 2024. After a feasibility study, in December 2022 Terrafame confirmed its decision to invest un the commissioning of the uranium recovery with this timeline. After the foreseen start-up phase, the recovery plant is estimated to operate at full capacity by 2026, when it is expected to produce about 200 tonnes of uranium per year.

Main legal instruments

• Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003)
• Act on the Openness of the Government Activities (621/1999)
• Nuclear Energy Act (990/1987)
• Nuclear Energy Decree (161/1988)
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Regulation on the Safety of Disposal of Nuclear Waste (STUK Y/4/2018)
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Regulation on the Emergency Arrangements of a Nuclear Power Plant (STUK Y/2/2018)
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Regulation on the Security in the Use of Nuclear Energy (STUK Y/3/2016)
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Regulation on the Safety of a Nuclear Power Plant (STUK Y/1/2018)
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Regulation on the Safety of Mining and Milling Operations Aimed at Producing Uranium or Thorium (STUK Y/5/2016)
• Nuclear Liability Act (484/1972)
• Radiation Act (859/2018
• Government Degree on Ionizing Radiation (1034/2018)
• Act on the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (1069/1983)
• Decree on the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (618/1997)

Last updated in March 2023