ANSTO today delivered to Environment Australia the supplement to the draft Environmental Impact Statement for a replacement research reactor at Lucas Heights.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement was available for public examination and comment for some three months during 1998. The draft EIS and the supplement comprise the final Environmental Impact Statement for the replacement reactor.
The supplement addresses all issues raised by the public on the draft EIS, including strategies for managing radioactive waste and spent fuel.
Subject to normal governmental processes, agreement has been reached with the French company COGEMA for reprocessing spent fuel. This will resolve spent fuel management issues.
The EIS supplement has been submitted in compliance with the Administrative Procedures of the Environment Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act 1974, which requires the proponent to provide a final statement addressing public comments on the draft EIS.
The environmental assessment of the replacement research reactor proposal has taken more than a year to date.
Draft guidelines for the assessment were published in November 1997 and after consideration of public inputs, final guidelines issued by Environment Australia in January, 1998.
The draft environmental impact statement was published in August 1998 and public comment was invited for 12 weeks. A total of 935 public comments were received from throughout Australia, the great majority pro formas.
Some 10 per cent were from Sutherland Shire. The supplementary document will be available in public libraries in the areas around ANSTO and to State libraries in all capital cities later this week.
Published: 18/01/1999