A group of 21 prominent South Australians are calling on elected officials to continue developing a controversial concept for burying international nuclear waste in the region’s arid environment.
Those signing the open letter include Adelaide Football Club Chairman Rob Chapman, Coopers Brewery chief Tim Cooper, former Gerard Industries Pty Ltd. Chairman Robert Gerard, and Cricket Australia Chairman Creagh O’Connor.
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission in April estimated a nuclear waste dump proposed in South Australia would generate $100 billion (AUS) in profit to the state over 120 years. The facility, which could open in the late 2020s, would potentially take waste from countries such as Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The facility’s 100-year capacity is estimated at 138,000 metric tons of heavy metal waste units and 390,000 cubic meters of intermediate-level waste.
In an extensive statewide consultation process, which included feedback from 50,000 people, 70 percent of the 350 members of the second of two citizens’ juries said they would not under any circumstances support the project, according to The Guardian newspaper.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill announced last month that the government was putting the plan on hold. Weatherill said officials support continued consideration of the proposal, but do not support lifting a nuclear waste storage ban for the region, which would be required for the development.
This week’s open letter pointed to the massive financial gain that the Royal Commission cited in its April report: “$257 billion in long term revenue, a present value of over $50 billion and the potential to build a state wealth fund that would well-serve future generations of South Australians.” The signatories also said the statewide consultation found more South Australians in favor of the proposal than opposed.
“We, the undersigned, call on South Australia’s elected representatives of all parties to continue to explore this opportunity,” the letter reads. “We request further investigations into issues that a) are essential for better understanding project feasibility and b) could be investigated at relatively low cost.”
The group also called for state and federal officials to meet with prospective client nations “in order to gain greater certainty and ensure we are fully informed as to the nature of this opportunity.”
