MiW; BY THE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

N,Dt  50

POSSIBLE URANIUM ENRICHMENT PLANT IN AUSTRALIA

The Minister for National Development (Mr Swartz)  announced today that the United States Government had offered  to discuss with Australia the possibility of making U.S.  enrichment technology available outside of the United  States for the construction of a uranium enrichment plant  on a multi-national basis.

Mr Swartz welcomed the United States' initiative  which followed closely on his recent talks in Washington  with members of the Joint Congressional Committee on  Atomic Energy and the United States Atomic Energy

Commission.

Mr Swartz said that the United States had offered  to have discussions with Australia, Canada, Japan, the  United Kingdom and the member countries of the European  Economic Community.

Mr Swartz said that even though the United States  was increasing the capacity of its existing enrichment  plants, the demand for enriched uranium following the  expected rapid growth of nuclear power stations world-wide  would require the construction of additional enrichment

capacity.

With its potentially large reserves of uranium  and relatively low cost power, Australia offered good  prospects for the establishment of a uranium enrichment plant.

If such prospects were to develop, such a plant  would probably be a private enterprise multi-national  venture,

Mr Swartz said that the initial talks with the  United States would be exploratory and without commitment

and that very detailed and intensive studies embracing  economic, technical, trade, financial, legal and political  aspects would be required before the Government could  make final decisions,

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CANBERRA.

20 July, 1971;

