“Final disposal is about responsibility” - Ilkka Poikolainen keynote speaker of WM2026 Conference

Poikolainen, together with Linda Kumpula from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, had the honour of delivering the keynote address at the most significant event of the waste management industry that opened yesterday in Phoenix. A lion’s share of the 3,000 or so attendants at the Conference were present to listen to the message from Finland.

Poikolainen’s address was not only a formal start to the week-long Conference, but also a powerful statement on how nuclear should be reviewed as a whole – from start to end and over several generations.

– The time horizon of our work is measured in hundreds of thousands of years. This gives the work a moral aspect and obliges us to act responsibly here and now, Poikolainen recapped.

It was also made clear to the audience that Posiva’s task has never been about solving a technical issue.

- Rather, it is about us wanting to ensure through our own action that we are not transferring to future generations problems which they did not cause, Poikolainen stressed.

Why Finland of all places?

Poikolainen’s keynote address also reflected Posiva’s unique position in the international scene. Waste Management Symposia is the most important international event of the nuclear waste management sector and Finland selected as this year’s Featured Country could not have happened at a more opportune time as far as Posiva is concerned.

After all, the company is about to start the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Olkiluoto as the first operator in the world and has already reached the final stretch leading to that moment.

Poikolainen also answered in his speech the question that had puzzled many – why is final disposal about to start in Finland, of all the places in the world. Undoubtedly, it must seem like a very remote place for many of the several thousand Conference attendees, the majority of them from North America.

According to Poikolainen, this is not based on any single decision but is the outcome of a long history of development driven by key factors such as investments in education, good cooperation, and pragmatic decision-making that is so typical of Finnish people.

- The decision to build the final disposal facility in Eurajoki on the west coast of Finland was made at a time when there was a lot of opposition to nuclear power. But once the decision was made, it was never challenged again. We just grabbed the shovels and got to work, the CEO explained.

Another feature characteristic of Finland is that, unlike in many other countries, the industry was placed in charge of the development of final disposal instead of the government taking the leading role. Good cooperation with the public sector was naturally also necessary, however.

– In Finland, the technical solution, the administrative model, and the social dialogue have gone hand in hand, Poikolainen summed up.

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Historical moment for whole industry

According to Poikolainen, the start of final disposal will signify the transition to a new phase for the entire nuclear industry and will have a positive impact on the tone of international debate.

Once it can be shown that the lifecycle of spent nuclear fuel is under control from start to end, the debate will shift from “can this be resolved” to the question “how do we do this responsibly”.

– When final disposal becomes reality, nuclear power can be reviewed as a complete lifecycle solution, instead of just through the challenges it poses. And this is a good thing for the entire nuclear industry, which is now, with the global energy demand increasing, needed more than ever before, Poikolainen said.

Apart from Posiva, owners and subsidiary also in attendance

Poikolainen had the opportunity to tell the story of the company he represented to a dream audience, so to say, because there are some 3,000 professionals in nuclear waste management from all over the world present in Phoenix. As the Featured Country, Finland also has a strong representation in North America, with 30 experts from several Finnish organisations taking part in the event, including Posiva’s owner companies Teollisuuden Voima and Fortum.

And Poikolainen, who took to the podium on the first day of the Conference, did not travel alone either. Posiva and Posiva Solutions, a subsidiary that markets Posiva’s expertise, is represented by a team of six experts who will engage in numerous panel discussions and presentations.

And justly so, as Finland serves as a benchmark for many countries still at the planning stage of final disposal. Whereas the question of final disposal is still one of principle in many countries, Finland is about to move on to practical execution.

- Another good point is that now others will not need to put in more than 40 years of work on this, like we have, Poikolainen reminded and encouraged the Conference attendees to seek out Posiva’s employees during the whole event.

Based on the reactions to his keynote address, Posiva’s representatives may prove to be quite popular.

Posiva will follow and report on the goings-on at the Conference throughout the week on Posiva’s own channels.