Date: June 2001

Reactor Construction Licence Application Ready for Assessment

The CEO of ARPANSA, Dr John Loy, confirmed in Sydney today that the ANSTO application for a licence to construct a replacement research reactor is suitable for the start of the assessment process. The public can now both see the application and make submissions on it.

Dr Loy said, "My staff have reviewed the application, including its Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR), and have agreed it is suitable for the licence assessment process to begin. I am today releasing the application and supporting documentation to the public, and calling for the first round of public submissions".

The PSAR is the centrepiece of the construction licence application and analyses the reactor design against a range of safety considerations – as set out in internationally accepted guidance. The PSAR document is detailed, complex and long – comprised of 11 volumes and a Glossary. The Table of Contents alone is 21 pages.

"I have provided reference copies of the full application, including the full PSAR, to Sutherland Shire Public Library, the National Library, the NSW State Library and its counterparts around Australia. Copies have also been sent to environmental and community organisations interested in the replacement reactor proposal, and to the Councils of Sutherland Shire and Liverpool City."

A summary of the PSAR, together with the formal application, and a guide to lodging submissions are included on a CD and are also available as a paper copy. These are available on request from 'The Receptionist' at ARPANSA on 02 9541 8333 during normal business hours. The summary and the application will also shortly be available on the ARPANSA web site at www.arpansa.gov.au/rrrp.htm

Dr Loy added, "I am calling for the first round of public submissions to be provided to ARPANSA by 5 September 2001. In these submissions I look to the public to identify significant issues about which they would like further information. I must stress that this is the start of the process. As we go along a great deal more material will become available to the public. Other information will include:

• The report of an international peer review team on the PSAR document.
• Questions asked by the ARPANSA assessment team of ANSTO and ANSTO’s responses to those questions.
• The work of the Nuclear Safety Committee, which I have asked to advise me on key issues related to the safety of the replacement reactor proposal.

A second round of public submissions will be invited later in the year – probably around October".

People living in and around Sydney may wish to visit ARPANSA’s Public Resource Room – Suite 9, 19-21 Central Road, at Miranda. The new address, open Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., has a copy of the full licence application, free hardcopies and CDs of the application summary, a public access terminal to ARPANSA’s website, and staff to provide assistance.