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Government Seeks Radioactive Waste Site Via Voluntary Nomination

Radioactive waste management: the Government needs a place to store it

The Australian Government initiated a search for appropriate land to store radioactive waste via voluntary site nominations.

Landholders nationwide can nominate land for a national radioactive waste management facility to safely store intermediate level waste and dispose of low level waste, under the National Radioactive Waste Management Act 2012.

Australia has 4,248 cubic metres of low level and 656 cubic metres of intermediate level waste in temporary storage, a by-product of medical research and industrial processes.

An Independent Advisory Panel has been established by the Department of Industry and Science to assist with assessing nominations and advising the Government on which sites may be suitable for a facility.

Sites will be assessed against important criteria and objectives including community well-being; stable environment; environmental protection; health, safety and security; and economic viability.

Extensive public consultation will be undertaken during every stage of the project.

Once the nomination and the preferred site identification are complete, the Government intends to negotiate with the landholder of the selected site.

The Government will also engage with the community in closest proximity to the selected site and will discuss a package of benefits in recognition of the potential construction and operational requirements of the facility.

Site nominations close at 5:00 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Tuesday 5 May 2015.

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