Senate Economics Legislation Committee

Inquiry into National Radioactive Waste Management

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input to the Committee’s deliberations as per your email of 3 March 2020. I agree with the choice of Kimba area as the site of a low and intermediate level waste facility. Hopefully site selection controversies will now abate. In the absence of terms of reference rather than social issues I wish to comment on two crucial longer term aspects;

- the possible tie-in with new water and transport infrastructure for . - implications if a nuclear electricity industry creates large amounts of spent fuel.

Upper Eyre PeninsuIa is facing economic decline through climate change. This facility and other initiatives could assist an economic revival for the region. However critics have suggested that the Kimba facility will morph into a high level waste site by default. In their view the current proposal is a foot in the door to that end. I also understand indigenous groups or their supporters will oppose any expansion of the Napandee site.

To forestall critics I’d also point that Eyre Peninsula already has radioactive hotpsots such as the Samphire uranium deposit south of Whyalla and the ‘Ethiopia’ occurrence near Kimba. Mildly radioactive zircon sand (¬4 Becquerels per gram) is loaded to the west at Thevenard jetty alternating with wheat and gypsum. To the north are the Emu and Maralinga historic A-bomb sites as well Olympic Dam, the world’s biggest uranium deposit. For contained radioactivity over a large politically stable region it may surpass anywhere in the world.

Water issues for Eyre Peninsula

To ease chronic water shortages in 2007 Kimba got a spur pipeline via the Middleback Ranges west of Whyalla from the 66 GL/y Morgan-Whyalla pipeline. That pipe draws water from beleaguered River Murray 400 km away, the river being hard pressed just to supply region. I believe there are already small desal plants but a large desalination plant (ideally nuclear powered) on the coast either at Whyalla or Pt Lincoln. South Australian electricity depends for stability upon gas fired generation from gas fields that have been worked for 50 years. A large Eyre Peninsula desal would enable that river pipe to be kept on standby for emergency use only. https://www.sawater.com.au/community-and-environment/our-water-and-sewerage-systems/long- term-water-security-planning/eyre-peninsula

Kimba is north of Goyders Line the 250 mm rainfall isohyet said to be the northern limit for crops. With climate change cropping will get more problematic most years and without new industry the town will decline. Climate change may be why many Australians now support nuclear power and see the need for first steps. At Pt Augusta 160 km away SunDrop Farms uses locally desalinated seawater for horticulture but cost information is not known. Increased fresh water supply for Eyre Peninsula might enable hydroponic vegetable growing for an expanded population. It might also assist other industries such as inland mining and coastal seafood processing. The point being that Kimba should not be perceived as a sacred cow that worsens water supply for other towns.

Interestingly Woomera gets long distance river water but Roxby Downs the township for Olympic Dam just 70 km to the north gets water from the Great Artesian Basin. The Goat Hill pumped hydro project near Pt Augusta if it eventuates will use river water. The River Murray supplies over 80% of Adelaide’s water and ideally should not be needed for Eyre Peninsula and the central west of the State. I suggest that any working group should liaise with SA Water if it hasn’t already done so to check the long term water needs of Eyre Peninsula.

Synergy with a mining renaissance for Eyre Peninsula

There is a proposal for a deepwater port midway along western at about 100 km from Kimba. It would carry iron ore and wheat outwards and could also bring contained radioactive material inwards. There’s speculative talk of a ‘green ammonia’ tie-in. https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/land-and-property-development/building- and-property-development-applications/major-development-applications-and- assessments/historical-listing-of-proposals-previously-assessed/cape-hardy-deep-sea-port

I believe iron ore demand from China needs to pick up for this project to proceed. Should that happen workers would need housing and services in central Eyre Peninsula. That would be centred around the town of Wudinna which like the port is about 100 km from Kimba. This another potential source of population increase for a region that may need more services. There is a proposal for power and water to be connected from the port. The heavy vehicle road called the ‘Iron Road’ from port to mine could continue to the in the event radioactive material was to be landed at Cape Hardy. If built it means Lucas Heights material could be shipped from Port Botany and elsewhere direct to Spencer Gulf then a comparatively short and secure road trip to Kimba. That would avoid 1,700 km of overland interstate road travel. I suggest any working group maintain a watching brief with the relevant SA planning bodies to discuss this option if it hasn’t already done so.

Readiness for possible large volumes of fuel rods

The precedent has been set with the decision to use Kimba as a staging post for the casks of vitrified material currently held at Lucas Heights. As far as I know no site has been set aside for high level nuclear waste but one option must be interim storage of such waste at Kimba. I suggest that realpolitik means that any long term high level site will have to be in the Woomera Prohibited Area. That zone is controlled by the Defence Dept and is therefore more immune to vexatious legal attacks. Conveniently WPA is directly to the north of Eyre Peninsula.

If a decision is made to substantially replace Australia’s coal fired generation with small modular nuclear reactors of the light water type this will eventually give rise to a large volume of spent fuel. SMRs could be built in several States including at former coal stations. Due to a global glut of uranium enrichment facilities the loaded fuel rods would be imported. Much of the raw uranium could originate in Australia. The rods contain highly radioactive fuel pellets at >250 kBq/g. After 1-2 years in the reactor they would be cooled down at the reactor site in liquid pools. After several years (say 5) they would be removed then enclosed in large above-ground casks. These have only exterior background radiation yet are considered dangerous by some. Later the casks should be moved to an as yet unknown high level site. I understand that overseas vitrification in the manner of HIFAR material would not be economic for commercial nuclear electricity.

In the long run this could create perhaps 50 tonnes of used fuel rods per year in say 20 casks for each SMR. Depending on uranium prices a possibility is fuel reprocessing for greater burnup. I am not suggesting Kimba could do this but by way of contrast La Hague in France occupies 330 ha and employs thousands. Napandee I believe is 160 ha. Reprocessed fuel could also be used in 4th generation reactors. These might also be able to use Australia’s abundant thorium. There was talk that rare earths from Nolans Bore NT with a thorium byproduct would be railed to Whyalla 140 km from Kimba. If some form of physical or chemical transformation is needed if not Kimba where else in Australia?

In its 160 ha Napandee could temporarily store dozens of spent fuel casks using suitable lifting equipment. What happens next to those casks is a question that must be addressed before the first power reactor is built.

Recommendations

Consider synergies and contribution to

- increased desalination for Eyre Peninsula and Roxby Downs - the Cape Hardy port proposal and road links - co-ordination with a possible high level waste facility in the Woomera Prohibited Area

I caution against spending the uncommitted $20m of the $31m too quickly on Kimba vanity projects and to consider spinoffs for other struggling towns. I agree with scholarships for STEM suited local students.

I have no views on new housing, service centres, hydroponics, sports facilities or the like.

The addendum canvasses the idea of Kimba remaining an intermediate level site while high level material is eventually moved to a site in the Woomera Prohibited Area.

These views are not confidential.

Yours truly

John Newlands Addendum: logistics of linking Kimba with Woomera zone

A couple of years ago it was suggested the depleting Challenger gold mine could suit high level radioactive waste storage. The mine is in the fork of the Perth and Darwin rail lines about 70 km NW of Tarcoola. It is on the western side of the Woomera Prohibited Area, the Maralinga test site now having been excised from the Defence controlled WPA. The Darwin rail operator has indicated they have no qualms about carrying nuclear material and copper-uranium concentrate is already railed from Olympic Dam to Pt Darwin thence to Guangzhou China. For a number of years Olympic Dam yellowcake has been trucked south to Pt Adelaide.

Kimba is on the Eyre Highway to WA but the area in question is off the National Hwy to Alice Springs. Assuming a HLW facility were ever built in that area and the ex Lucas Heights casks came from Kimba the vehicles would have to backtrack. It is 150 km to the turnoff near Pt Augusta then 550 km to the northwest. That is ILW to HLW transport of 700 km. Note that to Kimba is 1,700 km. There are evidently no all-weather shortcuts between the Eyre and National Highways say to the west of Lake Gairdner and other salt flats. A new rail line would also be very expensive.

The image shows sites of significance and the major highways. Omitted are rail lines, minor roads and water pipelines.