The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has launched a key decommissioning project marking the end of an era for Australia’s first nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights, the High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR). The HIFAR reactor was opened by Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies in 1958 and operated safely until 2007 when it was replaced by the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor supplied by Argentina’s INVAP.
The start of the decommissioning project follows a licence issued by the Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) in late 2024, for the initial stages of the works.
ANSTO CEO Shaun Jenkinson said Australia’s nuclear age was formally ushered in with the commissioning of HIFAR, which has remained an iconic landmark on ANSTO’s campus. “The distinctive white circular steel frame of the HIFAR facility has been a prominent fixture of Lucas Heights and across the valley here in southern Sydney for nearly 70 years,” he noted. “As a multi-purpose 10 MW reactor, HIFAR pioneered Australia’s nuclear medicine production and silicon irradiation capabilities, and housed the first neutron beam research instruments – all of which paved the way for the sovereign capabilities we have here at ANSTO today.”
He added: “This project will be carried out in line with international best practice for decommissioning. It will also be underpinned by ANSTO’s extensive radiation protection and safety, decommissioning experience and the wealth of engineering and technical knowledge honed over decades within the HIFAR team.”
Initial decommissioning has already begun under Phase A (Stage 1) to remove the neutron beam instruments, control room, fuel assembly station, and other peripheral equipment. In stages 2&3 of Phase A, the HIFAR Circuits will be removed along with the contents of No 1 Storage Block. Phase B will see the decommissioning of the reactor core, subject to further licence approvals with ARPANSA and a future national waste disposal pathway.
According to Senior Project Manager Brett Wheeler the decommissioning project has involved 10 years of planning and preparations in the lead-up to ARPANSA’s licence approval. “HIFAR has been in a state of shutdown since 2007. Within the first 12 months of its closure, ANSTO removed the reactor fuel and control arms, and drained the heavy water that cooled the reactor core,” he said. “The job at hand for now is to remove only the internal infrastructure and radioactive components inside the 21-metre-tall facility. The white exterior shell of HIFAR won’t be going anywhere soon. There are no plans to dismantle the exterior structure until much further down the track. A driving factor in starting the decommissioning work was to take advantage of the collective knowledge of the HIFAR team, many of whom are now approaching retirement.”
Most of the waste generated from Phase A decommissioning will be solid waste that can be safely recycled after final characterisation, ANSTO said. The small quantity of radiological waste will be managed and stored safely onsite at Lucas Heights in existing purpose-built facilities, while any hazardous (non-radiological) waste, such as lead and lead-based paints, will be disposed of offsite at a purpose-built facility.
Stage 1 of Phase A is expected to be completed by 2026. This will mark the second research reactor decommissioned in-house at ANSTO, following the decommissioning and dismantling of the Moata reactor in 2012, which safely operated for 24 years until 1995.
