ÃÂ  AUSTRALIA,/'  MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY   SENATOR GARETH EVANS Q.C. l$o.

17 December 1985

121/85

HIFAR SPENT FUEL TO GO TO UNITED STATES

The Government has decided that 450 spent reactor fuel

elements will be transported from the Australian Atomic

Energy Commission's Research Establishment at Lucas

Heights to the United States for reprocessing.

Since 1958 spent fuel from the AAEC1s principal research

reactor HIFAR has been stored at Lucas Heights. The AAEC

has returned spent fuel to the country of origin on only

one occasion, in 1963, when 150 elements were returned to

the United Kingdom. There are currently over 1200 spent

fuel elements of US and UK origin in storage, and a

further 50 or so accumulate with each year of HIFAR's

operation. :

Existing spent fuel storage capacity at Lucas Heights will

be fully taken up during 1986 unless some fuel elements

are removed or additional storage capacity is provided.

The latter option is not desirable as it would merely

defer a decision on eventual long term disposal.

The transportation and reprocessing of the spent fuel,

which will occur during 1986/87, will not present any

adverse environmental implications. Overseas, spent fuel

transport has been carried out for over 25 years,

involving thousands of transport movements, without any

environmental impact.  Â·  The waste from the reprocessing

will be retained in the US and isolated from the

environment in accordance with US Government regulations.

- 2-

The spent fuel will be transported front Lucas Heights to a

Sydney container terminal in a specially designed and

shielded container of a Kind commonly in international use

and certified to meet international safety standards.  The

movement of the material will take place under strict

security and safety arrangements.  Proposed arrangements,

particularly those relating to safety,  have been discussed

with representatives of unions wnich would be involved in

handling of this material.

Transport will comply with New Sou tn Wales laws on

transportation and safety of radioactive materials and

will be in accordance with the requirements of the

Australian Code of Practice for tne Safe Transport of

Radioactive Substances.  This code, which was published m

1982, adopts the International Atomic Energy Agency's

(IAEA) Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive

Materials.  These regulations form the basis for the safe

transport of radioactive materials internationally.

The Government is, of course,  concerned to ensure that its

stringent nuclear non-proliferation ana safeguards

requirements are met,  and reprocessing will take place in

accordance with the Australian/Unitea States Safeguards

Agreement as elaborated in an exchange of notes concluded

on 2 August 1985 and recently tabled m  Parliament.  This

will ensure that all nuclear material recovered through

reprocessing will remain solely in peaceful use.

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CANBERRA

