Western Australia-based Azark Projects is calling on the federal government to review its preference for a nuclear waste storage facility in South Australia, with the George Gear-led company proposing Leonora as a more suitable location.
The federal government is currently considering three locations for a radioactive waste management facility, with two of the sites at Kimba, which is on the Eyre Peninsula, while the third is near Hawker, which is also in SA.
Azark chairman Mr Gear said the company’s proposal for a facility in Leonora was superior.
"Leonora is the obvious choice," he said.
"It is a mining area, and the site chosen is remote from the town where there is no vegetation.
“There are no land rights or environmental issues and the local population, including Aboriginal people, who have attended public meetings, support the proposal.
"As a mining town Leonora has the skilled workforce to construct and operate the facility.
“There are already numerous road trains passing through the town every day carrying explosives, cyanide, and fuel as well as rare earth minerals which have low levels of radioactivity with several proposed uranium mines in the area.
"In addition the site is in solid granite, which is four kilometres deep and has been seismically stable for 2.6 billion years."
Resources Minister Matt Canavan recently held open forums with the local community in Kimba to discuss the proposal.
So far the government have spent or committed $40 million to a new facility and are set to spend another $30 million to the location chosen as well as a reported $300 million to construct the plant.
