These tunnels are designed for 100,000 years
Why Hacker News recommends it
Recommended in nuclear waste threads as a short, clear look at a real long-term storage solution.
What it is
Tom Scott visits Onkalo in Finland, the planned deep geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste intended to be sealed for 100,000 years.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2021 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Recommends caddywompus · 2021-06 · on “Portable nuclear reactor program sparks controversy”
Yes, I was really disheartened when I learned that my city only recycles a few types of plastic, and most of it just goes to the landfill. And now its being theorized that oil industries encouraged recycling as a solution, even knowing its deficiencies, so that plastics would be more readily accepted. Regarding nuclear waste disposal, this is the coolest solution I've seen so far: - [this video]
Recommends Nannooskeeska · 2022-08 · on “The messages that survived civilisation's collapse”
Tom Scott has a great video[0] about the Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository in Finland[1], in which he talks about one of the reasons that they decided on the particular area - why would anyone dig there? Skip to 4:29 in the video for the relevant info. [0]: [this video] [1]: [LINK]
Cites zeotroph · 2022-01 · on “Sweden approves plan to bury spent nuclear fuel for 100k years”
In Finland they are already filling up a 100k year long term storage mine [1]. Will every country with nuclear power have to find and dig (and counter-NIMBY) their own mines or could those with more favorable geological features offer theirs to others? Earthquake-prone Japan might have a hard time finding an appropriate location. 1: 6m Tom Scott video [this video]
Cites Caligatio · 2023-08 · on “The place where no humans will tread for 100k years”
I've been binge watching Tom Scott videos after finding out he's quasi-retiring soon and just happened to have watched his video of the exact same project last night: [this video]
Cites esskay · 2024-11 · on “The race to commercialise nuclear-powered batteries”
Solutions are already being made for spent nuclear fuel, no reason why that wouldn't apply in this scenario. In fact its massive overkill for this particular situation but still an option if its needed: [this video]