Antinuclear

Darwin Council worried about uranium transport risk

Yellowcake cyclone impact concerns council
ABC News 18 August 09 By Gina Marich

The Darwin City Council says a new uranium storage and handling facility proposed for Darwin’s main port could pose a risk to the environment.

BHP Billiton is considering a facility at the East Arm Port to export up to 1.6 million tonnes of uranium oxide a year, once it expands its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.

The Darwin Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer, says this poses a range of issues, including possible leakage during cyclones and tidal storm surges.

BHP have made some assurances that the stuff that they’re dealing with is not on the high end of the dangerous scale,” Mr Sawyer said.

“But we’d like some independent analysis of that and a range of assurances on some of it.

“There’s going to be some material on that site which needs to be very safely handled so there’s a whole range of issues.”

Yellowcake cyclone impact concerns council – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

August 18, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Northern Territory, safety, uranium | antinuclear, Australia, nuclear, radioactive, uranium