A historical week ahead – Posiva and Finland are key actors at a leading topical conference in the United States

Not only do Posiva and Finland attend this giant event but indeed they play the leading role. The keynote speakers of the event will be Posiva’s President and CEO Ilkka Poikolainen as well as Senior Specialist Linda Kumpula from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland.

The strong presence of Posiva and Finland is no accident, but the result of Posiva being about to start the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel as the first operator in the world. Posiva also has a solution to one of the nuclear sector’s biggest problems since the 1930s – how to handle the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a safe and sustainable manner?

The Conference, which will take place in Phoenix Arizona, in the United States, is not only a massive event in the number of attendees, but also one with long traditions. This year will be the 52nd time the Waste Management Symposia is organised. As has been customary, some 3,000 experts in the field, representatives of authorities, scientists, and decision-makers are expected to attend the Conference also this time.

This year, the event carries a special significance for Posiva, and Finland as a country. Finland has been selected as the Featured Country of the Conference with Posiva playing a key role in the contents of the event, starting with the keynote addresses with blue-and-white tones. This is a recognition for the long-term efforts over more than four decades carried out in Finland, and in Olkiluoto, to advance the development of final disposal.

Finnish expertise highlighted

Finland has a very strong presence in the Conference with some 30 experts from different Finnish organisations taking part. Olkiluoto is represented by a strong team of seven professionals.

The scope of the Finnish presence and the visibility afforded to them are testimony to the international reputation Finland has earned at the cutting edge of the field – a country and an operator with concrete final disposal competence tested in practice.

Posiva’s experts will participate in several panel discussions and presentations during the event, topics ranging from the safety of final disposal to decision-making processes and the long-term responsibility towards future generations. In these discussions, Finland and Posiva are increasingly often used as a benchmark and examples to other countries.

Posiva’s story is an interesting one as the company is the undisputed spearhead in its field. For Posiva, final disposal is no longer a plan or apilot project. The transition to actual operation in the near future has already started.

The head start is considerable, as operators in many countries are now, in mid-2020s, in about the same place with respect to final disposal as Finland was a few decades ago. WM2026 gives the attendees a unique opportunity to share experiences, knowledge, and visions of how the complex and long process can be brought to completion.

Long-term efforts highlighted in displays and presentations

Posiva’s President and CEO Ilkka Poikolainen, who will take to the podium on Monday, in early evening Finnish time, to deliver the keynote address, admits that the upcoming Conference is highly significant to Posiva.

– The event builds on long-term, consistent efforts centred from the very beginning on safety, trust, and public approval, Poikolainen sums up.

According to him, the holistic approach taken in Finland to advance final disposal is what particularly attracts international interest: the technical solution, the administrative model, and social dialogue go hand in hand.

– My own calendar during the event is becoming quite full, as well, showing that there is a lot of interest in us, he smiles.

Significant moment in Posiva’s international story

For Posiva, the WM2026 week is more than just another conference. It is one of the most important moments of international communication in the history of the company – the moment when years of work come to reality and Finnish expertise is showcased globally.

Poikolainen says that the objective is a clear one: the attendees will leave the Conference with a clear picture of where the cutting edge of final disposal is at the moment, and why Finland and Posiva are the ones at that cutting edge.

– It is about visibility, and also about trust and credibility; that the solution sought for across the world for such a long time now exists.

What is WM2026?
- Waste Management Symposia (WM2026) is the largest and most significant international conference focusing on nuclear waste management.
- It is organised every year and unites thousands of experts, representatives of authorities, scientists, and nuclear operators from across the world to discuss the handling, storage, and final disposal of radioactive waste as well as technical development in the industry.
- In its history of more than 50 years, the event has established itself as a global forum where the future roadmap of the industry is defined.

Posiva will follow and report on the goings-on at WM2026 next week, both on the company’s website and on Posiva’s social media channels.