Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant was a proposed nuclear power reactor in the
Jervis Bay TerritoryThe Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was bought by the Commonwealth Government in 1915 from the state of New South Wales so that the Federal capital at Canberra would have access to the sea...
on the south coast of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. It would have been
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
's first nuclear power plant, and was the only proposal to have received serious consideration . Some environmental studies and site works were completed, and two rounds of tenders were called and evaluated, but the Australian government decided not to proceed with the project.
In 1969 the Australian government proposed to the New South Wales government that a 500
MWeMWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
nuclear power station should be built on Commonwealth territory and connected to the New South Wales grid, electricity generation and distribution being a state responsibility under the Australian constitution.
Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant was a proposed nuclear power reactor in the
Jervis Bay TerritoryThe Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was bought by the Commonwealth Government in 1915 from the state of New South Wales so that the Federal capital at Canberra would have access to the sea...
on the south coast of
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. It would have been
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
's first nuclear power plant, and was the only proposal to have received serious consideration . Some environmental studies and site works were completed, and two rounds of tenders were called and evaluated, but the Australian government decided not to proceed with the project.
Background to the project
In 1969 the Australian government proposed to the New South Wales government that a 500
MWeMWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
nuclear power station should be built on Commonwealth territory and connected to the New South Wales grid, electricity generation and distribution being a state responsibility under the Australian constitution. Possible sites were the
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
and Jervis Bay. The plan, supported by the
Australian Atomic Energy CommissionThe Australian Atomic Energy Commission was a statutory body of the Australian government.It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981 parts of the Commission were split off to become part of CSIRO, the remainder continuing until 1987, when it was replaced by...
, was for a design of reactor that could generate weapons-grade plutonium, possibly reflecting Australia's long-term post-
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interest in acquiring nuclear weapons.
In December 1969 invitations to express interest in the construction of a nuclear power plant at Jervis Bay were sent to fourteen organisations. Tender documents were issued the following February, with tenders closing the following June. Fourteen tenders were received from seven different organisations. About 70 staff were involved full time in evaluating tenders, principally from the Australian Atomic Energy Commission and the Electricity Commission of NSW, and more than 150 others had a significant part-time role. As a result, a recommendation was written for the acceptance of the tender to supply a 600 MWe
SGHWRSteam Generating Heavy Water Reactor is a pressure tube type, heavy water moderated, light water cooled nuclear reactor. The steam generating heavy water reactor is in principle the same as a BWR but relies on a special heavy water material as the moderator whilst using conventional water as the...
, from the British organisation The Nuclear Power Group.
The abandonment of the proposal
Before this recommendation was made, however, there was a change of prime minister (although not of government).
John GortonSir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
had been a supporter of the project. However, he was replaced as Prime Minister by
William McMahonSir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia-Early life:McMahon was born in Sydney, New South Wales, where his father was a lawyer...
. McMahon opposed the nuclear power program, and the project was deferred for a year, citing financial constraints. Tenders were re-called, only to be again deferred and in practical terms cancelled in June 1971. The international organization
WUPLWUPL, My54, is the My Network TV affiliate for the Greater New Orleans, Louisiana area. It is licensed to the New Orleans suburb of Slidell. It is currently owned by the Belo Corporation along with sister station WWL-TV. It broadcasts on virtual channel 54.-History:The station signed on in June...
had tried to ward off the dangers connected with the use of atomic energy since 1970.
Some land clearing was done in preparation for the construction, and
concreteConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
footings were installed. The footings are visible to this day.
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