Federal Government chooses Eyre Peninsula for nuclear dump

[Black Orchid]

The Federal Government has selected a farm on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula as the site of a controversial nuclear waste dump.

Jeff Baldock's Napandee property 20 kilometres west of Kimba will be used to permanently store low-level waste and temporarily store intermediate-level waste.

The decision to use the 160-hectare area for what the Government calls a "disposal and storage facility" was made after four years of consultation.

Nearly 62 per cent of people voted in favour of the site being used in November, while a site near Hawker in the Flinders Ranges was opposed by Aboriginal traditional owners and residents.

Mr Baldock said the decision would be "fantastic for our community".

"There's going to be a small section that I'm sure won't be happy about this but the majority of people will be ecstatic about this," he said.

The Federal Government said the $200 million facility would boost the region's economy and create about 45 jobs during construction.

It comes with a $31 million community development package to give local businesses and workers skills to build and run the dump.

"I am satisfied a facility at Napandee will safely and securely manage radioactive waste and that the local community has shown broad community support for the project and economic benefits it will bring," Resources Minister Matt Canavan said.

Mr Baldock said construction was still "a while away yet" with acquiring the land the next step to go ahead.

He said 25 ongoing jobs would be a boost for the farming community, whose population has been decreasing.

"They bring family and come and live in this area," he said.

"They've got to have somewhere to live, they've got to eat, drink and sleep in our community.

Local federal Liberal MP Rowan Ramsey said waste would come in from more than 100 sites around Australia, such as hospitals and universities, and the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney.

Processed medium-level nuclear fuel rods from Lucas Heights will be temporarily stored at Kimba while a permanent site is found for them, he said.

Mr Ramsey, who tried to nominate his own property near Kimba for the dump but was barred as a federal MP, said there would be no fly-in, fly-out workers at the facility.

"All of those things should provide a long-term economic benefit to the community," he said.

More at ... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-01/ ... p/11920514

So radioactive nuclear waste is going to be dumped in the area and this guy, Ramsey, can't wait and is over the moon because 25 ongoing jobs will be created. It takes all sorts I guess.

I know it has to go somewhere but ...

[Juliar]

But this is only the BEGINNING!

Next thing waste from overseas will start appearing to create a financial bonanza for Sth Australia.

Next thing will be a nuclear power plant in Sth Australia.

[Black Orchid]

But this is only the BEGINNING!

Next thing waste from overseas will start appearing to create a financial bonanza for Sth Australia.

Next thing will be a nuclear power plant in Sth Australia.

That's what worries me!

[brian ross]

Nuclear waste needs to be buried, preferrably on a continental plate subduction zone using "safe rocks" technology. This decision shows the short-sightedness of the present Tory Government. Tsk, tsk.

[The Reboot]

Nuclear waste needs to be buried, preferrably on a continental plate subduction zone using "safe rocks" technology. This decision shows the short-sightedness of the present Tory Government. Tsk, tsk.

Nuclear waste needs to be buried, preferably in Brian's backyard.

[Texan]

I think nuclear waste can be beneficial. As technology improves we will find ways to get more energy from it. Nuclear power is very dependable, but you have to be very careful with it and very careful with how and where it is stored. Fukishima was a disaster waiting to happen. It was built on a fault line on the coast at sea level. If Japan couldn't find a better place to put a reactor they don't need one. Australia is huge and there are many remote areas that could be suitable for storage or energy production. If you do build nuclear power plants, be sure to include adequate distribution lines. We built massive wind energy farms in West Texas and didn't have the distribution lines to get the energy to Dallas/Fort Worth where it was needed. It took a couple of years to complete the lines and get the full benefit of the wind farms.

We use nuclear power in Texas and have never had an issue. I've worked at the plant in Glen Rose, TX.

[brian ross]

Nuclear power comes with a whole raft of problems. Fukashima was built poorly in a bad place. A power plant further along the Japanese coast paid attention to the possibility of a Tsunami and survived it with no casualties and no damage, so there are safer ways to build them than Fukashima. Chernabyl was a poor design. Three Mile Island was a better design. The Enrico-Fermi power plant in Detroit was a bad design. Sellafield was a bad design. The problem is that bad designs don't show as bad designs until something goes wrong and with nuclear power plants that invariably means the release of radioactivity when things go bad.

Nuclear waste dumps have security problems. They are dangerous places and unless adeque security is assured, they will never be safe. Kimba is a small place in the middle of the countryside. I assume but can find no assurances that they will be able to adequately maintain security for 50,000+ years. Much better to bury it in a subduction zone, such as off our north coast nearly Indonesia. It is then gone forever.

[Juliar]

Greeny BRossy regurgitates the old out of date stuff from his favorite Greeny Web Sites.

[brian ross]

Greeny BRossy regurgitates the old out of date stuff from his favorite Greeny Web Sites.

Actually, I'm regurgitating what I've read from various scientific papers over the years, Juliar. You're just regurgitating without consideration of the very real dangers of radioactivity. If you want a nuclear waste dump, lets put it in your backyard.

[Juliar]

Greeny BRossy is locked in the past re-reading the old out of date pages of his favorite Greeny web sites.