Green bid to block N-waste disposal
A proposed low-level radioactive waste project north-west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has come under fire from conservation groups concerned the project is a stepping stone to a national radioactive waste facility.
Private resource company Tellus Holdings has submitted a proposal to WA's Environmental Protection Authority to construct the $62 million dual clay mine and waste facility at Sandy Ridge, 140km north-west of the city.
According to documents, the facility would take in 66,000 tonnes of waste a year for about 25 years, including "low level radioactive wastes" as well as materials from oil and gas facilities from across Australia.
The Sandy Ridge project is projected to provide more than 40 jobs during construction and 18 jobs in the operational phase, with plans to fill the void left by mining with waste material.
Tellus managing director Duncan van der Merwe has publicly stated the facility would not take nuclear waste and was only looking to take a "small volume" of medical isotopes.
The company argues the site is well-suited to house a waste facility due to its seismic stability, the lack of water bodies in the vicinity and the impermeable nature of the ground beneath the site.
However, in a joint referral the Conservation Council of WA, the Anti Nuclear Alliance of WA and the West Australia Nuclear Free Alliance urged the EPA to classify the project "environmentally unacceptable".
The organisations stated there was too much ambiguity regarding the possible acceptance of higher grades of nuclear waste in the future.
The groups also argued Tellus' proposal was premature, with the Federal Government's plans to construct a national radioactive waste management facility still under way.
They said if the Federal site selection failed they were concerned that Tellus would repackage the Sandy Ridge proposal as the default national radioactive waste facility.
The joint referral also cited a lack of clarity on the type of waste to be stored at Sandy Ridge, stating Tellus had not ruled out taking "intermediate level wastes" such as tailings, which require isolation of at least 10,000 years.
The EPA has 28 days to consider the project.
