The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) operates Australia’s one and only nuclear reactor — the 20 MW(t) ‘OPAL’ research reactor at Lucas Heights, approx. 25kms south of Sydney.
The OPAL research reactor at Lucas Heights.
Successive governmens have claimed that the reactor is necessary for medical and scientific applications though the evidence for such claims is very weak. The desire to continue to operate a reactor is driven by questionable foreign policy objectives (see Jean McSorley’s paper).
A non-reactor future for ANSTO is viable based on a range of technologies, the most important being particle accelerators including cyclotrons. These options ought to be explored given the problems with researchg reactors, in particular their use in numerous nuclear weapons programs around the world, and the small risk of serious accidents (there have been 5-6 fatal research reactor accidents). ANSTO was heavily involved in the push to build nuclear weapons in Australia in the 1950s and ’60s.
As at February 2012, ANSTO fully supports the government’s crude, undemocratic, racist plans dump ANSTO’s nuclear waste on Aboriginal land in the Nortthern Territory. Previously, ANSTO fully supported the Howard government’s racist plan to impose a nuclear waste dump on Kokatha land in South Australia.
More information:
Friends of the Earth webpages: http://www.foe.org.au/anti-nuclear/issues/oz/lh
ANSTO – Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation www.ansto.gov.au
Jean McSorley’s analysis of the foreign policy agenda driving the new reactor plan http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/30410/20090218-0153/www.geocities.com/jimgreen3/mcsorley.html
Medical Association for the Prevention of War – www.mapw.org.au
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre http://ssec.org.au/our_environment/issues_campaigns/nuclear/index.htm
Jim Green’s website http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/30410/20090218-0153/www.geocities.com/jimgreen3/index.html
ARPANSA – www.arpansa.gov.au
[This webpage last updated in February 2012]