Spectre of Maralinga hangs over Aukus nuclear waste for Indigenous communities
The question of where to store waste from submarines is exacerbating trauma caused by British atomic testing in South Australia in the 50s and 60s
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Behind all the pomp of the Aukus submarine deal in San Diego there was a detail that could prove a much bigger obstacle than even the massive USS Missouri moored near the three leaders. Under the agreement, Australia will be responsible for storing high-level nuclear waste from the decommissioned reactors.
And that is no easy feat. The US and UK naval reactors that will power both the Virginia-class subs and the future SSN-Aukus boats are fuelled by highly enriched uranium-235.
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