The nuclear waste storage facility in Australia: a community perspective.
National radioactive waste management facility has listed on their website three sites which have voluntarily nominated for the facility installation. These sites include :
- Wallerberdina, near Hawker in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia
- Lyndhurst, near Kimba in the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
- Napandee, near Kimba in the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Having very stable geology offers the opportunity to build a radioactive waste disposal facility similar to the repository under construction in Onkalo in Finland.
Another major advantage such a facility could add to the existing flat uranium ore export market in the world is a complete solution for the buyers. It clear from the existing supply chain model of nuclear reactor fuels across the world that, uranium ore from Australia moves through a large number of preprocessing steps across Japan, Canada and France before being ready for use in nuclear power plants across the world.
Some argue the ethical side of storing nuclear waste
Storing radioactive waste makes ethical, environmental and commercial sense
Why it is here?
Britain has agreed to reprocess spent fuel rods from Luca heights in the 1990s under the agreement that Australia will dispose of the waste generated from the process.
Australia is believed to have sent around 76 tonnes of low-level radioactive material to Scotland’s Dounreay nuclear power plant. Radioactive waste will be sent to Australia in 2022 from England’s Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.
“The substituted radioactive waste will be in the form of four vitrified residue containers holding waste that falls within the activity levels of intermediate-level waste,’’ Mr Harrington said.
District Council of Kimba
Kimba district council has agreed to conduct a postal ballot in relation to the construction of a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility at one of three nominated sites, two of which are within its local government area. This is a non-binding ballot and will provide the associated Minister with a gauge of community sentiment about the facility going ahead in the Kimba district.
How a community is benefited from this?
According to the government, the website community is going to be benefited from this project. Not many of them are happy or satisfied with the way this is put forward. And also there is a real question should a community take up nuclear waste to make it self developed or rather it is the duty of government in a democracy to provide it people with all these amenities without holding them accountable for signing developments program on the name of taking radioactive waste in their community land.
Following are the benefits waiting for the community if they support the program:
Community benefits
The facility will be a new industry for the host community and will attract an injection of local investment. In addition to funding, the community will see job opportunities and improved infrastructure.
Community Skills and Development Package
A Community Development Package of up to $31 million will be available for the host community. This package includes:
- $20 million community fund to provide long-term support for the region
- $8 million of grants to strengthen the economic and skills base of the host community
- $3 million from the government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy will support the delivery of an Aboriginal Economic Heritage Participation plan
Community Benefits Programme
The NRWMF Benefit Programme has provided funding to each community to acknowledge their contribution to the project.
Sporting clubs, community organisations, and projects focused on tourism, health and more have been funded.
The facility will need staff for:
- security
- safety
- waste operations
- site management
- community outreach
- environmental monitoring
- administration
Based on staffing levels in similar facilities elsewhere, the NRWMF will provide at least 45 jobs.
Infrastructure improvements
The facility may require upgrades to surrounding infrastructure, benefiting the broader community. Infrastructure that has been assessed as part of the site characterisation studies includes water, power, communications, transport and waste.
To future:
It seems a bit risky to say that in exchange for allowing the government to create a nuclear waste facility they will be given the basic amenities and jobs which seems to be regular things for people residing in the urban areas of Australia. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the decision is with the community to decide whether they want it or not.
