Tellus’ draft Sandy Ridge Public Environmental Review progresses
- Draft PER adequacy review completed by WA Office of Environmental Protection Authority
- Draft PER was peer reviewed by international experts who confirm the design is excellent
- The proposed multi-barrier system offers very good prospects of excellent long-term performance that can protect the environment and human health
- Tellus sends Draft PER to Federal and State Government Decision Making Authorities
- Next step – public review of the PER likely within the next six weeks
Tellus Holdings Ltd (“Tellus”) advanced its regulatory approval for the proposed Sandy Ridge Facility. Tellus has submitted its Draft Public Environmental Review (PER) to a Federal and State Government group of Decision Making Authorities (DMAs). This was a requirement of Tellus outlined in the Proposal’s Environmental Scoping Document (ESD) issued in May 2016 by the Western Australian Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (WA OEPA).
The DMA’s compare the Draft PER with the (ESD) issued by the WA OEPA to ensure the proponent has adequately addressed the key environmental issues of the proposed Sandy Ridge Project.
Following a six-week review by the DMA’s, the PER is expected to be placed on public review for 10 weeks.
“The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed Sandy Ridge Facility has taken another significant step in the right direction. The initial review by the OEPA identified a number of important areas that required further evaluation by Tellus, which included appending the international independent peer review on the Proposal’s design and operating systems to confirm best practice design has been met,” Tellus’ Managing Director Duncan van der Merwe said.
Summary of international independent peer review
Tellus’ Sandy Ridge project is a proposed dual revenue model facility. This involves mining the commodity kaolin clay in a thick dry remote kaolin clay bed, which then creates a safe dry near surface geological repository in an arid environment. The space created by mining will be backfilled with mostly chemical waste using a multi-barrier system to support the safety case and in keeping with environmentally sound management (ESM) principles that protect the environment and human health.
Although the facility will take mostly chemical waste, there will be a small volume of low level radioactive waste such as medical isotopes and smoke detectors (not nuclear waste). Therefore the OEPA required Tellus to commission an independent peer review based on the design of the Facility and specifically the manner in which low level radioactive waste would be permanently isolated.
To meet this requirement, Tellus commissioned the UK-based Eden who are experts in this area, to consider if the design, operation and closure system of the proposed Sandy Ridge Facility is sound and meets best practice design that can protect the environment and human health.
The independent Eden review completed by the international expert Andy Baker concluded that, on the basis of knowledge of other disposal facilities for the disposal of difficult to manage hazardous waste and low level radioactive waste (LLW) worldwide, that:
- the design of the Sandy Ridge Facility is excellent
- the proposed multi-barrier system offers very good prospects of excellent long-term performance that can protect the environment and human health
- the long-term performance outcomes are comparable or better than the performance of many other LLW disposal facilities in other countries
- the sound design is facilitated by the favorable hydrological and hydrogeological environment.
Next steps
Tellus plans on visiting the Goldfields region in early October including the communities of Southern Cross, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The focus of the consultation will be to explain the main outcomes of the detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done for the proposal and to obtain feedback on key environmental and social benefits or concerns associated with the proposed project.
About Eden:
Eden Nuclear and Environment Ltd (“Eden”) is a company that supports its clients in the development of safe sustainable and economic achievable solutions for managing waste. They advise on geological repository safety, developing waste strategies, assessing radiological impacts and managing environmental liabilities.
About Andy Baker (Independent international expert):
The international peer review was led by Andy Baker who is Managing Director of Eden Nuclear and Environment. He has 30 years’ experience in dealing with technical issues relating to radioactive waste management and disposal. His key expertise is in the management and technical coordination of safety cases and safety assessments for repositories for the disposal of radioactive waste. He has done extensive work in support of safety cases for the UK deep repository and for the UK’s principal facility for the near-surface disposal of radioactive waste (the Low Level Waste Repository). He has experience in assessing and advising on a range of repository designs in the UK and overseas. Experience includes senior roles working for a regulatory body and in managing repository assessment programs.
About Tellus Holdings:
Tellus Holdings Ltd is an infrastructure project development company with a proposed dual revenue infrastructure business model. This involves mining the commodities salt and kaolin and backfilling the voids left from mining with equipment, archives or long term storage of waste. Tellus plans to store like-with-like materials, so as to create opportunities for the future long- term, storage, treatment and recovery of valuable materials or the permanent isolation of waste. Tellus’ business model mirrors world’s best practice solutions operating in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. Tellus is developing the Chandler project in the Northern Territory (NT) and the Sandy Ridge project in Western Australia. Tellus’ flagship ‘Chandler Project’ has been awarded Major Project Status by the Northern Territory Government.
For further information:
Visit: www.tellusholdings.com.au or contact:
Duncan van der Merwe
Managing Director
Tel: +61 (0)2 8257 3395
Corporate and Chandler Project:
Jane Munday
Michels Warren Munday (Media)
Mob: +61 (0)427 880 083
Sandy Ridge Project:
Cameron Morse
FTI Consulting (Media)
Tel: +61 (0)8 9485 8888
