Regulation & Licensing
- Home
- Regulation & Licensing
- OPAL Reactor
- Significant Events in the Licensing Process
- Introduction
- About Regulatory and Policy Branch
- Information For Licence Applicants
- Information For Licence Holders
- Regulatory Guides
- Regulatory Forms
- Codes & Standards
- Security of Radiological Material
- Commitment to Good Regulatory Practice
- Regulatory Forums
- Import and Export Permit Applications
- Research Reactors
- National Uniformity
- International Collaborations
- Our Relationship with State and Territory Regulators
Bulletin
Read about the latest regulatory and policy news from ARPANSA
quick links
contact
For more information please get in touch with Regulatory and Policy Branch
- +61 2 9541 8330
- +61 2 9541 8348
- email ARPANSA
Significant Events in the Licensing Process
Faulting on Replacement Research Reactor Site
During the preparation of the site for the RRR, a geological fault was discovered in May 2001. Subsequent action was requested of ANSTO by the CEO to ensure that the safety of the project would not be undermined. These actions, along with the CEO’s assessment, are listed below.
- The CEO of ARPANSA briefed the Nuclear Safety Committee on matters related to the discovery of faulting in the excavation prepared for the construction of the replacement research reactor at Lucas Heights - CEO's report on excavation
- Summary of seismic briefing of Nuclear Safety Committee (27 September 2002) (PDF 176kb)
- ANSTO report (September 2002) - Submission to ARPANSA on the site geological investigations for the replacement Research Reactor at Lucas Heights (PDF 4,501kb)
- CEO of ARPANSA's assessment of faulting on RRR site (Dr John Loy) (PDF 181kb)
Supporting documents
- Review of ANSTO Submission to ARPANSA on Site Geological Investigations of Lucas Heights (Geoscience Australia) (PDF 146kb)
- ANSTO Response to Consideration by Geoscience Australia of ANSTO Submission to ARPANSA on Site Geological Investigations of Lucas Heights (ANSTO) (PDF 381kb)
- Report on the Review of the Assessment of Surface Faulting at the RRR Site - Lucas Heights, Australia (INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY) (PDF 175kb)
- Review of the ANSTO Submission on the Site Geological Investigations for the RRR at Lucas Heights (ARPANSA) (PDF 213kb)
Reactor Pool Liner Repair
In May of 2003,the CEO of ARPANSA, Dr John Loy, was advised by ANSTO that errors had been made in the fabrication of the reactor pool liner for the RRR and unauthorised repairs had been conducted. An extensive investigation was conducted by ARPANSA staff into the matter.
As a result of these investigations, the CEO ANSTO's repair strategy in relation to errors made during fabrication of the stainless steel pool liner, or tank, for the replacement research reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney's south. As an outcome of his review of the errors, he also intends to apply three new licence conditions on the reactor construction licence issued to ANSTO in April 2002.
The Following documents directly relate to the CEO Announcement on 29 August 2003 :
- CEO of ARPANSA's Statement of Reasons (PDF 283kb) that sets out his decisions and the evidence he relied upon in making them;
- An ARPANSA report (PDF 752kb)
- A report from materials science experts at the CSIRO; and
- A report from welding experts at Toshiba Corporation in Japan. (PDF 265kb)
Modified Fuel Design For OPAL Reactor
On 1 May 2008, the CEO of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Dr John Loy, announced that he had approved a submission from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for a modified design of reactor fuel for the Open Pool Australian Light-water (OPAL) reactor.
The full decision and statement of reasons that accompanied it can be downloaded using the following link.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view PDF files
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available from Adobe's website