How can we ensure the safe management of nuclear waste for hundreds of thousands of years? Who or what will be accountable for the long-term oversight of final repositories for nuclear waste? This research project explores these questions through a focus on how accountability for managing these sites is understood over deep time frames.
Understanding How Accountability for Managing Final Repositories for Nuclear Waste Will Work in Practice
In January 2022, the Swedish government green-lit a political process to build a final geological repository for nuclear waste in recognition of the need for long-term storage solutions for highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from energy production. Sweden and Finland are currently the only countries actively developing final repositories for nuclear waste. However, there remains a considerable uncertainty regarding how accountability for these repositories is understood and implemented in practice – especially as these repositories are, according to those creating them, supposed to last at least 100,000 years.
Over three years, our study will investigate how accountability is perceived with those involved in the development of final repositories for nuclear waste. We will analyse both human and non-human actors in the management of these repositories across 100 millennia. Final repositories for nuclear waste are underground sites designed to securely contain highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel. These repositories, currently under development in Forsmark (Sweden) and Olkiluoto Island (Finland), are unique because they are understood by experts to be ‘final’ – meaning the waste stored will be non-retrievable and will exist without human monitoring. A central challenge is thus in ensuring that these sites remain secure without direct human oversight, addressing risks such as technological failure, environmental changes, and geological shifts. One of the primary challenges in managing final repositories for nuclear waste is dealing with deep timeframes—geological timescales spanning tens of thousands to millions of years. No human-made infrastructure has lasted 100,000 years, which raises questions about how and whether these sites will endure into the distant future.
This project advances research in human geography and science and technology studies (STS) by examining ontological relations between human and non-human actors involved with managing accountability relations for spent nuclear fuel. As humanity navigates the challenges of nuclear waste management, this project seeks to shed light on how accountability is transferred across deep time. By investigating the strategies employed by experts today, we aim to develop a deeper understanding of how future generations may inherit and manage these critical infrastructures. For more information or to get involved, please contact our research team.
The project is funded by the research financier Swedish Research Council, 2025-2027.
