ONKALO news
12.08.2011 Construction of the repository is assessed in the demonstration tunnels of ONKALO
In the ONKALO research facility in Olkiluoto, some 420 metres below ground level, excavation work has been going on since April 2011 for the demonstration tunnels, or the “DEMO” tunnels as they are known. In connection with the DEMO tunnels, the method for assessing the suitability of bedrock as well as methods associated with the construction of disposal tunnels and disposal holes are being assessed. Excavation of the first DEMO tunnel was completed in June 2011. Work for the second DEMO tunnel began in July 2011, and the aim is to excavate it to an approximate length of 120 metres by the end of 2011.
11.02.2011 A new drilling jumbo is here for precision work
A new drilling jumbo, tailored according to Posiva's needs, was received in Olkiluoto at the end of January. The jumbo will be used for excavating the demonstration facilities – a task that requires high precision. For a successful drilling round detonated in the rock, it is very important to drill the holes in the rock as straight as possible and exactly at the intended spots.
03.01.2011 Worker dies in accident at ONKALO
A fatal accident took place at the construction site of the underground research facility ONKALO in Olkiluoto, Eurajoki late on Sunday 2 January 2011. The accident occurred at the back of a tunnel reaching a depth of over 400 metres. Three workers equipped with iron bars were scaling the tunnel walls and ceiling. One of the workers was caught under a block of stone being barred down and died of the injuries he sustained.
23.07.2010 Study holes in ONKALO now complete
The ONKALO facility now comprises a total of five research niches, which are approximately 30-metre branches of the access tunnel. One of them, known as the POSE niche, contains three study holes with a diameter of 1.5 metres and a depth of approximately seven metres (7.26 m exactly). These holes emulate the disposal canister hole, even though their diameter is slightly smaller than that of the actual hole.