French operators of Aube nuclear waste dump tour SA sites considered for Australian dump
TOURING a radioactive waste dump isn’t high on most people’s list of things to do when they visit France’s Champagne region.
TOURING a radioactive waste dump isn’t high on most people’s list of things to do when they visit France’s Champagne region.
But keeping the doors open to visitors is a vital part of the Aube radioactive waste disposal facility’s ongoing efforts to build public trust.
Well over three quarters of the local population opposed the construction of the waste dump in the late 1980s, but annual surveys show most people now support it.
“More than 75 per cent of the population supports our activities and they think that it’s a good thing that we’re here,’’ Aube waste disposal centre director Patrice Torres said.
Mr Torres is in South Australia with Champagne mayors to visit regions that could be home to Australia’s national repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste.
The group will visit Port Augusta, Hawker, Quorn and Kimba for a series of public meetings, beginning Wednesday.
The 95ha Aube facility is located in an agricultural region where key industries include wine and cheesemaking and cabbage farming. When the centre opened in 1992, the local population were understandably concerned about the impact it could have on the reputation of their products and on tourism.
In order to build public confidence, the waste disposal centre is an “open facility”, which receives about 5000 visitors per year.
Mr Torres said winning and keeping the support of the local community was an essential part of ensuring the broader French population also had confidence that radioactive waste was being stored safely.
“Year, after year we’ve worked very hard, we’ve asked them their opinions and now the trust is a reality,’’ he said.
Local winemakers were given information so that they could answer any concerns potential customers had.
“We have to be very transparent, we have to give them enough information so that they can defend their own image,’’ he said.
The Aube centre holds more than 111 m3 of compacted waste from France’s nuclear program and other industries that produce radioactive waste. It is run by the agency ANDRA, which is responsible for managing France’s radioactive waste.
A site at Barndioota, near Hawker, is the Federal Government’s preferred location for Australia’s new radioactive waste dump. But the Government has been asked to add two late nominations from Kimba to the shortlist.
Mr Torres said it was up to local communities in SA to decide whether they would support the construction of a radioactive waste dump,
“We don’t know enough about the Australian case or specifics. But I can tell them that in our case our facilities can be run and managed safely,’’ he said.
The French delegation has been brought to Australia as part of a Government consultation program, which has also included flying community representatives to Sydney to tour the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor.