Nuclear conference fails waste and weapons tests
Date: 21-Apr-2009
The program for World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2009 shows the nuclear industry promotional conference, held in Sydney tomorrow and Thursday, fails to address longstanding unresolved concerns about nuclear waste management and the ‘dual use’ of uranium – for electricity and deadly nuclear weapons.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said other countries were backing away from the toxic nuclear industry.
“US President Obama has recently withdrawn support and budget for the proposed nuclear waste disposal site at Mt Yucca in Nevada, after 20 years and more than A$13 billion having been spent on this one project,” said ACF Nuclear Free campaigner David Noonan.
“Nuclear waste management remains unresolved in the USA – the home of nuclear power.
“This is a toxic industry with no place in a responsible and sustainable society.
“Delegates to the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference will not hear about how nuclear capital costs are soaring, how the industry is heavily reliant on public subsidies and how it is unable to pay accident insurance in this era of terrorism and weapons proliferation.
“Delegates will learn nothing about how Australian uranium produces plutonium and nuclear waste in nuclear reactors overseas and contributes to the increasing risk of terrorist dirty bombs produced from nuclear fuel cycle waste.
“BHP Billiton should explain how it will exercise responsibility for nuclear risks from the uranium it proposes to export from the world’s largest uranium project at Olympic Dam and how it proposes to manage the expanded mine’s bulk radioactive tailings waste for the 10,000 years the tailings remain a radiological hazard and need to be isolated from the environment.”