DETAILS have emerged of the size and scope of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's (ANSTO) proposed nuclear medicine and waste treatment facility at Lucas Heights.
The new $168 million nuclear medicine plant will produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) used for the diagnosis of heart disease and cancers, while the Synroc plant will treat liquid nuclear waste.
Sutherland Shire Council was concerned at the lack of detail on the size of the project, the increased generation and long-term storage of nuclear wastes, the potential treatment of imported wastes, and the safety of the final Synroc product.
ANSTO staff briefed councillors on April 22, responding to the council's concerns.
The Mo-99 manufacturing plant will be three storeys, or 12 metres high, shorter than ANSTO's existing Mo-99 facility, and will have a floor area of approximately 4000 square metres.
The Synroc building will use the Australian developed technology to solidify liquid nuclear waste from the new Mo-99 facility.
The new nuclear medicine manufacturing facility will produce around 4400 litres of liquid waste per year, compared with the 1165 litres currently produced at ANSTO.
"This is a relatively small increase, and is put into perspective when you consider the average backyard swimming pool holds around 30,000 litres of water," ANSTO's response to the council stated.
But this increased nuclear waste generation will be countered by a reduction in waste volume through the Synroc process — up to 75 per cent, according to ANSTO.
The Synroc process will also be used to reduce the volume of ANSTO's existing liquid wastestocks from past nuclear medicine production.
Under legislation ANSTO can only process radioactive wastes arising from its own activities or those of another Commonwealth entity.
ANSTO again stated its support for the establishment of a long-term nuclear waste storage facility and reiterated that it does not consider the ANSTO campus an appropriate location for such a facility.
ANSTO stated that under legislation it cannot permanently store nuclear waste arising from Commonwealth activities.
But the council report said this still gave "considerable scope" for temporary storage, over long duration, of nuclear waste until a long-term repository is built.
"The only issue that remains outstanding is the long-term future of this waste which will remain at the ANSTO site until a national nuclear waste repository is established," it said.
