First Return of Reprocessed Intermediate Level Waste to Australia – Receipt and Transport to the ANSTO Interim Waste Store

The Hi-flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) operated from 1958 to 2007, at the Australian NuclearScience and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Between 1999 and 2004, four shipments ofHIFAR spent fuel were sent to La Hague for reprocessing, on the condition that assigned residues were sent back to Australia by 31 December 2015. The shipment of intermediate level vitrified residues and technological wastes from reprocessing left France mid-October 2015 and arrived in a port outside of Sydney in early December. This was the first time waste from reprocessing was received in Australia.Due to the size and mass of the TN81 cask, a mobile crane was set-up on the wharf for the unload from the ship. A large security operation was required for the road transport of ILW from the port to the Interim Store at ANSTO.This paper will discuss theFormation of an Inter-governmental Working Group of State and Federal agencies in support of the road transport of the ILWRegulatory approval frameworks in Australia for transport and storage of ILW fromreprocessingKey aspects to consider when planning a transport of oversize, heavy cargoCommunication strategy in the lead-up to and during the transport operationEngagement with local government and other non-government groups about the ILW, itsorigins and the need for its return