Wednesday, 25 July, 2007

Sunday Herald Sun

THE waste generated by nuclear power stations is tiny compared with that of coal-fired power stations and should not be considered an obstacle to the development of a domestic nuclear power industry, the head of the nuclear technology body says.

Ian Smith, executive director of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, released figures yesterday showing while a nuclear power plant produced about 315 cubic metres of waste over its life, a coal fired power station produced 3.3 million cubic metres.

He said in a briefing in Canberra that the waste from coal stations was potentially more toxic than that produced by nuclear stations.

He cited the case of France where between 70 and 80 per cent of power comes from nuclear. Over 25 years the stations had not produced enough waste to fill one Olympic-sized swimming pool, he said.