Nuclear waste sent to France for reprocessing will be returned towards the end of this year to the Lucas Heights nuclear facility for storage.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) announced it had been granted a licence to operate a temporary waste store until a national repository was created.
Approval was given by independent regulator, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), which had approved the site and construction start previously.
An ANSTO spokesman said work was close to completion.
‘‘It is international best practice that countries such as Australia, whose health system and economy benefit from a nuclear program, have a responsibility to deal with the by-products,’’ he said.
‘‘In line with best practice and French law, the waste will leave France by the end of this year.’’
HIFAR-spent nuclear fuel rods, generated during medical production at Lucas Heights over 50 years, were sent to France and the UK for treatment to make the waste suitable for permanent storage.
The contract stipulated that the waste after it was reprocessed for permanent storage be returned by the end of 2015.
More in the Leader on Tuesday.
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