Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
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Chapter 4: The toxic cradle of productionThe lax approach of <strong>the</strong> mining industry, and its regulators, can be seen in <strong>the</strong> DMEreport’s argument for mixing contaminated materials into existing mine dumps:… <strong>the</strong>re are recognised benefits of reintroducing radioactive residues fromuranium and acid plant maintenance / decommissioning into <strong>the</strong> millingand gold-uranium extraction process. Apart from <strong>the</strong> financial benefits ofrecovering gold and uranium, <strong>the</strong> gradual reintroduction of this materialinto <strong>the</strong> process has <strong>the</strong> effect of returning <strong>the</strong> radionuclide concentrationsback to <strong>the</strong>ir original values, i.e. to <strong>the</strong> levels prevailing in <strong>the</strong> original feedmaterial to <strong>the</strong> plant. The reprocessing of <strong>the</strong>se residues <strong>the</strong>refore avoidshaving to dispose of <strong>the</strong>m separately (a potentially risky and expensiveprocess if <strong>the</strong>y are to remain at high activity concentrations). Instead, <strong>the</strong>ysimply end up as being an indistinguishable part of <strong>the</strong> tailings. [DME2000: 52]Pelindaba, <strong>the</strong> nuclear research facility near <strong>the</strong> Hartbeespoort Dam, placed its wastesin an excavated hillside called Thabana. For this waste, “complete records are notavailable”, as <strong>the</strong> audit politely puts it. It was foreseen that all <strong>the</strong> Thabana trencheswould eventually have to be excavated. The audit anticipated that decommissioningof buildings, stores and plants (including <strong>the</strong> Safari-1 reactor) would result in13,000 cubic metres of waste, from a total volume of 150,000 cubic metres incontaminated materials. It expected this to be a costly process (but gave no figures)that would last between 20 and 30 years.At <strong>the</strong> time of <strong>the</strong> report, Vaalputs in Namaqualand contained 7,371 m 3 of low andintermediate level waste which is mostly material coincidentally contaminated byradio-activity or with uranium. Vaalputs is now being considered for <strong>the</strong> burial ofhigh level waste. Thus far, Koeberg nuclear power station has stored its high levelwaste on site. This waste is composed of spent fuel assemblies and stored in racksunder water. The racks are periodically repacked to cram in more waste. Accordingto <strong>the</strong> report, by 1999 Eskom had provided R1,164 million for <strong>the</strong> management of<strong>the</strong> spent fuel and <strong>the</strong> eventual decommissioning of Koeberg.There is still no plan for final disposal of high level radio-active waste.<strong>Wasting</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nation</strong> - groundWork - 95 -