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| Inside MOATA reactor. |
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has been recognised with a prestigious national award for its project management at an awards ceremony held in Darwin last night.
The ANSTO project team received the Best Small Project Award from the Australian Institute of Project Management for decommissioning the Moata research reactor.
ANSTO General Manager for Engineering and Capital Programs, Con Lyras was in Darwin to receive the award.
“It’s a brilliant result and we’re all pretty excited,” he said. “The Moata decommissioning was unique – not only was it the first reactor decommissioning in the country but also in the southern hemisphere. It succeeded on all fronts: on safety, on time and on budget.
"It was a very challenging project. We needed to do the dismantling work with such precision and care. The expert team included highly skilled engineers, scientists and safety experts. The project has generated much international interest and the expertise gained has been used to train international visitors.”
Moata was ANSTO’s second, lesser known small research and training reactor which operated for 34 years until 1995. Moata played an important role in aircraft safety. At one time it was used for around 15 per cent of all procedures involving radiography to check the structural soundness of jet engine turbine blades.
The reactor was also an important tool for Australia’s uranium mining industry, providing rapid and accurate ore measurements.
The national award for the decommissioning of Moata follows its success at the AIPM’s New South Wales awards, where it was named Project of the Year in September.
Published: 13/10/2010