The Department of Defence recently revealed it wants to build a facility for the indefinite temporary storage of radioactive waste from AUKUS nuclear submarines at HMAS Stirling on Garden Island, off the coast of Perth.
To do so, they need to comply with the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and obtain approval from the Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek.
During the public consultation period, we checked out their application (our full response is here). Interestingly, it claimed there are “no possible alternatives” for the storage of radioactive waste across the causeway from the City of Rockingham, despite considering “direct transport, handling and disposal of radioactive material to an end-of-life waste disposal facility” located approximately 550km away.
“direct transport, handling and disposal of radioactive material to an end-of-life waste disposal facility”
We’re pretty sure that means the Tellus Sandy Ridge facility, near the WA Goldfields, but we can’t be sure – we weren’t contacted.
Nonetheless, Defence concluded that sending it to Australia’s only operational disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste would “increase the risk of transport vehicle incidents and potential release of radioactive material.” Apparently, burying this material tens of metres underground at a geologically sound, secure, remote location monitored by CCTV 24/7, would increase security risks.
Their conclusion is at odds with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which says immediate permanent disposal is safer and more secure than prolonged temporary storage, especially for workers.
Presumably, too, Defence will confront identical challenges with transport under their own waste disposal plan. And that plan will take decades, a fact confirmed by the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency at a recent Nuclear Energy Inquiry hearing. Australian governments have already spent nearly five decades trying to build their own facility, with no success.
If Defence seriously believes low-level radioactive waste from AUKUS submarines constitutes a community health risk in the event of road spillage, it makes their insistence on storing it indefinitely near densely populated suburbs and popular beaches even more peculiar.
In the meantime, Tellus is solving our radioactive waste challenge. This year, we safely transported across Australia and disposed of around 6,000 cubic metres of radioactive contaminated soil from Sydney, fixing a century-old problem at Hunters Hill. Safely buried. No spills. We’ve also safely taken from every state and territory more than 1,100 sealed radioactive sources (including safeguards material monitored by the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office) since early last year.
So, it’s no surprise we have a different view. There is an alternative to creating yet more indefinite temporary radioactive waste storage sites across urban Australia. It’s at Sandy Ridge, and it’s ready now.
HMAS Stirling on Garden Island
Tellus’ Sandy Ridge Facility in remote Western Australia