ANSTO announced today that we now expect the OPAL reactor to be operating again in the first few weeks of 2008.
Analysis and testing of fuel assemblies, following the fuel plate movements recently discovered in the OPAL reactor are continuing and should be completed in early November.
A submission seeking approval from the independent nuclear regulator ARPANSA, to restart the reactor is being prepared. The submission will detail the reason for the fuel plate movements, fuel design changes to prevent a recurrence, and tests undertaken to validate the design. ANSTO anticipates that the necessary adjustments will be completed and OPAL will be operational in the first few weeks of 2008.
Detailed examination and removal of the fuel assemblies, including high resolution video footage of the fuel at the bottom of the 13-metre deep reactor pool, has been painstaking and required two approvals from ARPANSA.
The process of removing the fuel, running the tests and seeking approvals has been time consuming but necessary. The shutdown has also enabled ANSTO to carry out repairs to the reflector vessel which contains heavy water and surrounds the reactor core. That work has been successfully completed.