ÃÂ.

r^ir^w^i BY THE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

N.D. 51 '

EMBARGO EMBARGO E ÃÂÃÂ ARGO - Release 7 p.m, Sunday, 15 October.

GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE INFORMATION ON URANIUM .  '  "" ENRICHMENT

Australian companies interested in engaging in a

domestic uranium enrichment industry would be given access to

information gathered during preliminary Government studies on

the subject, the Minister for National Development (Sir

Reginald Swartz) said today.

He said the information would be made available to

interested Australian firms through the Australian Atomic

Energy Commission whose headquarters are at Coogee, New

South Wales.

Sir Reginald said that for some time the Commonwealth

Government had been studying prospects for large scale enrichment

of uranium in Australia and recognised that an enrichment

plant would be a major industrial enterprise requiring

investment decisions of some significance by private industry.

He added:  "The Government has now decided, therefore,

that in order to assist Australian firms which may wish to

undertake their own studies to determine whether they might

be interested in such a venture,  it will make available to them

the information resulting from its preliminary studies, and which

it is within the power of the Government to release.

"Nuclear power stations are now being built or

committed in rapidly increasing numbers throughout the world.

"Nearly all of the nuclear fuel required for these

stations will be in the form of enriched uranium, production

of which in the non-communist world is at present confined almost

entirely to the United States of America.

i  "It is expected that the demand for enriched uranium .   until 1980-81 will be satisfied by the existing plants. However,  to meet the forecast rise in demand beyond that time, new plants  will need to be constructed. It is estimated that five new .   plants will need to be brought into operation between 1980  and 1985. .  "Interest has been expressed for some time in the  possibility of an enrichment plant being established in Australia. "Australia appears to be among the countries having  a combination of conditions favouring the establishment of such  a plant. Â· "Officials from the Australian Atomic Energy Commission,  .the Department of National Development and other interested '   Departments have been gathering and studying information from  overseas relevant to consideration of the establishment of a "  plant in this' country. Ã¢ÂÂ  "At the same time Australian State and Northern  Territory authorities have been assisting in studies of possible  sites,  power supplies and infrastructure for such a plant in .   Australia. "Prom all of these studies a volume of useful  information is being brought together. "Although some information is available to Government  agencies, industry would of course want to make its own in-depth  studies of technical,  economic and marketing' aspects before  deciding whether it would be interested in such a project. "To assist firms in deciding whether they might be  interested in seeking information or undertaking studies,  it . should be noted that the cost of an economically viable  enrichment plant is likely to be of the order of $1,000 million. -  2 - 3 "A plant would need to be supported by an assured  power supply of about 2,000 megav/atts,  involving a further  substantial capital investment and its construction and operation  would require considerable supporting technological services. “Its output, for which markets would have to be  found, would have a value in the region of $300 million a year. "There would be a need to ensure adequate supplies  of uranium as "feed" for the plant, Â· "Although any enrichment plant built in Australia  would be essentially a commercial enterprise, the Government  itself would have responsibilities for any necessary government-  to-government agreements in relation to the transfer of technology,  the safeguards whioh must be applied in the nuclear field to meet  our international obligations, and any other conditions that  might be required in terms of Government policy." CANBERRA. Sunday, 15 October, 1972. EMBARGO EMBARGO EMBARGO Release 7 p.m. Sunday, 15 October

"It is expected that the demand for enriched uranium .

until 1980-81 will be satisfied by the existing plants. However,

to meet the forecast rise in demand beyond that time, new plants

will need to be constructed. It is estimated that five new .

plants will need to be brought into operation between 1980

and 1985.

.  "Interest has been expressed for some time in the

possibility of an enrichment plant being established in Australia.

"Australia appears to be among the countries having

a combination of conditions favouring the establishment of such

a plant. Â·

"Officials from the Australian Atomic Energy Commission,

.the Department of National Development and other interested '

Departments have been gathering and studying information from

overseas relevant to consideration of the establishment of a "

plant in this' country. Ã¢ÂÂ

"At the same time Australian State and Northern

Territory authorities have been assisting in studies of possible

sites,  power supplies and infrastructure for such a plant in .

Australia.

"Prom all of these studies a volume of useful

information is being brought together.

"Although some information is available to Government

agencies, industry would of course want to make its own in-depth

studies of technical,  economic and marketing' aspects before

deciding whether it would be interested in such a project.

"To assist firms in deciding whether they might be

interested in seeking information or undertaking studies,  it .

should be noted that the cost of an economically viable

enrichment plant is likely to be of the order of $1,000 million.

-  2 -

3

"A plant would need to be supported by an assured

power supply of about 2,000 megav/atts,  involving a further

substantial capital investment and its construction and operation

would require considerable supporting technological services.

“Its output, for which markets would have to be

found, would have a value in the region of $300 million a year.

"There would be a need to ensure adequate supplies

of uranium as "feed" for the plant, Â·

"Although any enrichment plant built in Australia

would be essentially a commercial enterprise, the Government

itself would have responsibilities for any necessary government-

to-government agreements in relation to the transfer of technology,

the safeguards whioh must be applied in the nuclear field to meet

our international obligations, and any other conditions that

might be required in terms of Government policy."

CANBERRA.

Sunday, 15 October, 1972.

EMBARGO EMBARGO EMBARGO Release 7 p.m. Sunday, 15 October

