Anti-nuclear campaigners say the Australia Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) facility at Lucas Heights is the ‘‘least worst option’’ for storing reprocessed radioactive waste.
The ship BBC Shanghai, carrying 25 tonnes of waste, is expected to reach Port Kembla at the end of November or early in December.
From there, the storage containers will be moved by truck to Lucas Heights in a high-security operation.
Spent nuclear fuel produced for medical purposes at Lucas Heights was sent to France for reprocessing in the 1990s and early 2000s and, under French law, had to removed by the end of 2015.
ANSTO was granted licences by the independent regulator, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), to build and operate a new temporary waste storage facility until a national repository was established.
The federal government was due to release a short list of possible sites for a national dump by August this year.
Natalie Wasley, co-ordinator for Beyond Nuclear Initiative, and Dave Sweeney, of Australian Conservation Foundation, met separately last week with representatives of Sutherland Shire Council, Sutherland Environment Centre and other groups about the impending arrival of the reprocessed waste.
Ms Wasley said they wanted ‘‘to engage with the community and key stakeholders to make sure the waste is returned safely to its point of origin and open up a community conversation about its long-term management’’.
‘‘We think, as do other groups, returning the waste to Lucas Heights is the least worst option because it was produced there and the site has robust security and a concentration of nuclear expertise,’’ she said.
Ms Wasley said the radioactivity of the returning material was less than what was being produced at present by the reactor.
‘‘Concerns about waste storage need to also address the source, the reactor’s operations,’’ she said.
‘‘It is important for waste minimisation to be a key principle and waste storage to be front of mind rather than out of sight in a remote area.
‘‘We hope storage at Lucas Heights is an opportunity for a national conversation about radioactive waste production and management, including an independent inquiry.’’
WASTE FOR NO COMPENSATION
Natalie Wasley has moved to Arncliffe after nine years in the Northern Territory working with the Aboriginal community in Muckaty.
The federal government proposed siting the national nuclear waste dump at Muckaty, 120km north of Tennant Creek.
‘‘We don’t want to see another situation where a remote Aboriginal community is pressured to take the waste in exchange for compensation,’’ she said.
‘‘At Muckaty, this took the form of money offered for roads, housing and education scholarships.’’
Do you think the reprocessed nuclear waste should be stored at Lucas Heights?
