Sunday, 4 November, 2007

by Kerry Nettle
The Australian Greens

The admission by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation that Australia's only nuclear reactor will remain shutdown for six months shows the need for a new direction on nuclear power,Greens Senator Kerry Nettle said today.

The embarrassing revelation comes on the eve of an International Atomic Energy Agency conference, which starts in Sydney tomorrow and is focused on research reactors like the Lucas Heights OPAL reactor.

The week long conference, The International Conference on Research Reactors: Safe Management and Effective Utilization, is being hosted by Australia and 220 delegates from around the world are expected to attend.

"The government now has egg on its face as the world's nuclear scientists gather in Australia," Senator Nettle said.

"Just before Australia hosts a major international conference on research reactors we learn that Sydney's nuclear reactor will be out of action for at least six months."

"John Howard called this reactor a 'triumph' but just three months after his government opened the reactor it has broken down and will now be off line for at least 6 months."

"There is major gap between the rhetoric and reality of nuclear power in this country. How can John Howard and ANSTO argue for 25 nuclear power reactors when they can't even run one small research reactor?"

"There is still no clear answer to the cause of the reactor shutdown and who will foot the bill. ANSTO says it is spending $90,000 a week to provide nuclear medicine while the reactor is shutdown. The reactor cost $400 million to build so for the cost of building a reactor Australia could have had 100 years of medical isotopes."

"The government should cut its losses, keep the reactor closed and focus on real solutions to climate change like renewable energy and energy efficiency."