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EMARGOED NOT FOR RELEASE BY ANY MEDIA BEFORE MIDNIGHT ( EST)
ON THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY, 1969
N. D. 14 91
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
( Hon. David Fairbairn, M. P.)
AUSTRALIAN PLANS FOR CAPE IREAUDREN FEASIBILITY STUDY
SThe Minister for National Development, Mr David
Fairbairn, today gave details of the arrangements made to
ensure Australia's full and effective participation in the
feasibility study. " We have set up an Australian Plowshare Committee
to watch over the study", Mr Fairbairn said.
" A Cape Keraudren Project Technical Committee
has also been established to co-ordinate the investigations
into technical and economic issues.
The Cape Keraudren Project Committee will be the
W working body for the feasibility study, and will maintain the
necessary liaison with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
SThe Chairman of the Committee will be Dr A. R. W.
Wilson, of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission who is
SDeputy Director of the Commission's Research establishment
at Lucas Heights, near Sydney. He is thoroughly experienced
in the American Plowshare programme, having visited the United
States on a number of occasions to study developments.
In 1963, Dr V'ilson headed a three-man Australian
mission which made a first-hand appreciation of the United
States progress in the scientific, engineering and safety
aspects of the use of nuclear explosives.
He has also acted, at the request of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, as adviser to the
Government of Panama on the safety aspects of the proposed
" Trans-Isthmian Canal Project".
In this, the use of nuclear explosives is being
studied, since this technique is estimated to offer economies
of the order of several hundred million dollars over conventional
blasting techniques.
0 The Australian deputy co-ordinator for the Cape
Keraudren Project Committee is Dr R. Warner, of the Australian
Atomic Energy Commission. Dr Warner is a Gold-medallist in the Faculty of
Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, and has
been closely associated with Plowshare developments for some
years. The Project Committee will include experts from
a number of Commonwealth Departments and organisations, among
them the Bureau of Mineral Resources and the Bureau of
Meteorology, the Government of Western Australia, and the
Sentinel Mining Company. The Snowy Mountains Authority may
also be associated with the Committee.
Commenting on the decision to proceed with a
feasibility study, Mr Fairbairn said it was very good news.
It could have important implications for development work in
Australia in future years.
" If it proceeds, the construction of a harbour
at Cape Keraudren by nuclear blasting will advance our knowledg e
and skills in this exciting~ new field".
If it proves feasible in all respects the
operation at Cape Keraudren is expected to require five
nuclear explosives each of 200 kilotons fired simultaneously.
It is estimated that this will produce a harbour 6,000 feet
long, 1,300 feet to 1,600 feet wide and 300-400 feet deep.
This could accommodate ships of up to approximately 150,000
dead-weight tons.
CANBERRA: EMBARGO: 6.2.69 EMBARGO: EMBARGO EMBARGO: EMBARGO
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