Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
From Envirowiki
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) "is Australia 's national nuclear research and development organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise." [1]
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[edit] Conflict of Interest in ANSTO Research
In May 2006 ANSTO released a report called Introducing Nuclear Power To Australia, prepared for it by British nuclear proponent Professor John Gittus (Wikipedia).
In a synopsis of his report Gittus is described only as "a consultant and adviser to government ministries, public bodies and private industry." But the release of the full report revealed that Professor Gittus runs Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1176, the biggest commercial insurer of nuclear power stations and other nuclear facilities in the world, and makes significant profits from the nuclear industry. This constitutes a massive conflict of interest for Prof Gittus and ANSTO, but the information is only disclosed on page 264 of the report's 267 pages. [2]
While the government claimed that the report concludes that nuclear power in Australia would be cost-competitive with coal and gas, in fact, "it looks at the cost of a new style or first of a kind reactor. And it shows that unless the Government took on more than half the financial risk of building it, nuclear energy would not be viable. It would cost twice as much as coal-fired power, and any private operator that took on the costs and risks, the report says, would quickly go into liquidation. . . The report also assumes that Government bears at least half the liability for any nuclear accident, without which Ian O. Smith at ANSTO concedes, nuclear power would be uninsurable." [3]
The Report, costing $20 000, provides a projected financial outline for the costs of establishing nuclear power generation in Australia. The Report is based on two scenarios. One model outlines the Federal Government acting as a quasi-insurer of the project by providing a "First Of A Kind" loan, paid back with a Retrospective Premium (Gittus, 2006, p24). Under this plan, the Federal Government insures both the construction and operational risks associated with nuclear power plants (Gittus, 2006, p26-7). The second option put forward by Gittus involves the Federal Government subsidising nuclear power plants. Under its current forecasting, this subsidy could be 14.31% of the capital costs and 21.41% of the electricity costs of producing a "5th of a kind" AP 1000 generator (Gittus, 2006, p30).
The Report only briefly deals with the issue of radioactive waste. Gittus (2006, p32) makes the assumption that the treatment of radioactive waste in Australia would be similar to strategies undertaken in countries with nuclear power programs. For high level waste, this process includes having the spent fuel remain in the reactor pool for 20 years then placed in dry casks and stored for up to a century in a building on the surface whilst it waits for an "ultimate repository" (Gittus, 2006, p32). A similar procedure is outlined for intermediate level waste (Gittus, 2006, p33). This process is projected to cost A$9.6 million per year (Gittus, 2006, p33).
In regards to renewable energies, the Report barely addresses the issue. Whilst the it acknowledges the falling costs of renewable energy generation, the Report focuses on factors that could diminish renewable energy technology operational capacity (Gittus, 2006). This can be seen through the nearly ten pages of scenarios that would take away from wind farm capacity, ranging from tornadoes to air crash and only one paragraph on solar power.
The author, John Gittus, co-runs 'Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1176,' "the biggest commercial insurer of nuclear installations in the world." This company insures most of the world's nuclear power plants (Gittus 2006, p264). This commercial interest in the adoption of nuclear power plants casts a shadow over the Report.
In addition to this, are links with 'Serco,' a consulting client of Gittus' in the UK. Serco has significant contracts with the Australian Department of Defence, operates international radioactive waste dumps and provides warheads for the UK's nuclear arsenal (Serco, 2006, http://www.serco.com/text/assurance/markets/defence/nuclear_weapons/index.asp ).
Given the authors' background and business alliances, 'Introducing Nuclear Power to Australia: An Economic Comparison,' is hardly a balanced report.
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Chair
[edit] Chief Executive
- Dr Ian O. Smith, Executive Director CV
[edit] Board Members
- Dr Ian Blackburne
- Mr Michael Eager
- Dr Carrie J. Hillyard or Carmel J. Hillyard
- Dr Agatha van der Schaaf
- Dr Klaus Schindhelm
- Dr Ian O. Smith
- Mr Bill Scales - current Chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology and serves on several boards, including Chairman of the Port of Melbourne Corporation. His previous roles include executive positions at Telstra Corporation Ltd and Chairman of the Industry Commission.
- Professor Paul Greenfield is currently the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland, and also a director of several companies including UniQuest Pty Ltd, National ICT Australia Ltd and the Australian Institute of Commercialisation.
(Source: http://www.ansto.gov.au/discover/people_at_ansto.html )
[edit] See Also
[edit] Contact
Mail Address:
PMB 1 Menai
NSW 2234 Australia
Street Address:
New Illawarra Road
Lucas Heights NSW Australia
Phone: 61 2 9717 3111
Fax: 61 2 9543 5097
E-mail: enquiries AT ansto.gov.au
Web: http://www.ansto.gov.au/
[edit] External links
- Introducing Nuclear Power to Australia - An Economic Comparison, ANSTO, May 2006.
- Stephanie Peatling, "N-power plant would cost $400m to insure", Sydney Morning Herald, May 29, 2006.
- Adrian Rollins and Julie Macken, "Atomic power author in conflict", Australian Financial Review, June 1, 2006. (Sub req'd).
- Stephen Long, Credibility of nuclear report questioned, ABC Radio National: PM, Monday, 5 June 2006.
- www.ainse.edu.au/
- Holly Creenaune, Adam Wolfenden, 'Opportunities To Waste: Australian Universities and the Nuclear Industry' [5]
