The Australian government on Tuesday issued the outlines of its approach to management of what is expected to be at least 13,500 cubic meters of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste.
The Australian Radioactive Waste Management Framework is intended to “guide the principles, policies and institutional arrangements of radioactive waste management” in the nation, according to a press release from the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science. That covers development of separate facilities for permanent disposal of both waste types (Australia doesn’t have any high-level waste).
There are more than 100 locations in the island nation holding radioactive waste, almost all of which has been produced by federal agencies – topped by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization. The government anticipates it will have to dispose of at least 9,800 cubic meters of current and future low-level waste at a site that is currently being selected. The nation’s stockpile of intermediate-level waste, which ultimately is expected to grow to over 3,700 cubic meters, will temporarily be stored in the LLRW disposal facility before being placed in its own site.
The framework has five central elements: “Overarching policy objectives,” including safety and security; roles and responsibilities of the waste generators, regulatory bodies, and policy makers; institutional arrangements; strategic planning of radioactive waste management, including determining where the waste originates and supporting preparation of a “common national inventory” for the material; and sustainable financing over the long term.
From The Wires
From Reuters: New Jersey’s Senate and Assembly pass legislation to provide financial assistance for three nuclear power reactors in the state.
From the Albuquerque Journal: Activists tour New Mexico in opposition to a proposed consolidated interim facility for storage of commercial spent nuclear reactor fuel in the state’s southeast.
From Swissinfo: Estimated price tag for decommissioning Switzerland’s five nuclear power plants rises by 1.1 billion Swiss francs ($1.14 billion) to 24.6 billion Swiss francs ($25.6 billion).
