End of an era for Australia’s first nuclear reactor

ANSTO is embarking on a major decommissioning project which will officially mark the end of an era for Australia’s first nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights, the High Flux Australian Reactor known as HIFAR. 

Opened by Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies in an elaborate ceremony in 1958, the HIFAR reactor safely operated for nearly 50 years until 2007 when it was replaced by ANSTO’s current multi-purpose research reactor, OPAL. 

The commencement of the project follows a license issued by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) in late 2024, for the initial stages of the decommissioning works. 

ANSTO CEO Shaun Jenkinson said Australia’s nuclear age was formally ushered in with the commissioning of HIFAR, which has remained an iconic landmark on ANSTO’s campus. 

“The distinctive white circular steel frame of the HIFAR facility has been a prominent fixture of Lucas Heights and across the valley here in southern Sydney for nearly 70 years,” Mr Jenkinson said.

“As a multi-purpose 10 megawatt reactor, HIFAR pioneered Australia’s nuclear medicine production and silicon irradiation capabilities, and housed the first neutron beam research instruments – all of which paved the way for the sovereign capabilities we have here at ANSTO today. 

“This project will be carried out in line with international best practice for decommissioning. It will also be underpinned by ANSTO’s extensive radiation protection and safety, decommissioning experience and the wealth of engineering and technical knowledge honed over decades within the HIFAR team.”

The decommissioning has since commenced with initial works under Phase A (Stage 1) to remove the neutron beam instruments, control room, fuel assembly station, and other peripheral equipment. In stages 2 and 3 of Phase A, the HIFAR Circuits will be removed along with the contents of No.1 Storage Block. Phase B will see the decommissioning of the reactor core, subject to further licence approvals with ARPANSA and a future national waste disposal pathway. 

Senior Project Manager Brett Wheeler said the long-running decommissioning project has involved 10 years of planning and preparations in the lead-up to ARPANSA’s licence approval.

“HIFAR has been in a state of shutdown since 2007. Within the first 12 months of its closure, ANSTO removed the reactor fuel and control arms, and drained the heavy water that cooled the reactor core,” Mr Wheeler said.

“The job at hand for now is to remove only the internal infrastructure and radioactive components inside the 21-metre-tall facility. 

“The white exterior shell of HIFAR won’t be going anywhere soon. There are no plans to dismantle the exterior structure until much further down the track.

“A driving factor in starting the decommissioning work was to take advantage of the collective knowledge of the HIFAR team, many of whom are now approaching retirement. So it’ll be a fitting send-off for the decades spent working with such an iconic piece of Australia’s scientific and engineering history.”

The HIFAR decommissioning project for Stage 1 of Phase A is expected to be completed by 2026. It will also mark the second research reactor decommissioned in-house at ANSTO, following the successful decommissioning and dismantling of the Moata reactor in 2012, which safely operated for 24 years until 1995. 

For more information about ANSTO’s decommissioning projects, visit ansto.gov.au/decommissioning. 
Images of HIFAR can be downloaded from the media gallery on ANSTO’s Media Centre at ansto.gov.au/media-centre.

Additional information 

About HIFAR

ANSTO’s predecessor, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) was established shortly after the implementation of the Atomic Energy Act in 1953.

HIFAR is a 21-metre tall, 10 megawatt research reactor, located at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus in Sydney’s south. Construction of HIFAR commenced in 1955 and the reactor went critical on 26 January 1958. HIFAR was officially unveiled by Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies on 18 April 1958 in front of 900 staff and invited guests.                                 

The design of HIFAR is understood to be based on the DIDO reactor at Harwell in the United Kingdom. 

HIFAR was originally constructed for the purpose of testing materials for use in future nuclear power reactors. Its purpose evolved into producing neutrons for nuclear medicine production, irradiating silicon for the global semiconductor industry, and for scientific use. 

The facility housed six of Australia’s first neutron beam instruments, used for scientific investigations in chemistry, medicine, materials science, and environmental science. Today, the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering sits adjacent to the OPAL multi-purpose reactor. Its 15 neutron beam instruments enable researchers and industry partners to study the structure and dynamics of atoms and molecule samples, such as polymers, proteins, and viruses.

In 1960, HIFAR reached two milestones: it was taken up to full power, and it produced its first medical isotope Sodium-24, which was used as a radiotracer in pregnant women to measure the transfer of sodium to the fetus. 

HIFAR continued to operate for over 13,600 days until 30 January 2007, when it commenced a state of shutdown following the commissioning of the OPAL multi-purpose reactor. In the following 12 months, HIFAR’s reactor spent fuel was unloaded and later re-processed, and its heavy water was drained and stored on site. A small, dedicated team have maintained the facility and facilitated heritage tours for the community since this time. 

APRANSA licence & decommissioning works

On 4 December 2024, ARPANSA announced its decision to award a Facility Licence Application from ANSTO to decommission HIFAR. 

The licence application is for limited decommissioning only, to commence with the early stages of decommissioning under Phase A (stage 1).

Further stages (Phase A, stage 2 and stage 3) and Phase B which will include the decommissioning of the reactor core, will require additional approvals from ARPANSA.

Works to commence the first stage of the decommissioning have since started and will include the removal of: the six neutron beam instruments, two fuel flasks, rig support equipment, silicon storage blocks, the fuel assembly station, general utilisation equipment, and the control room.

The greatest majority of the waste generated from Phase A will be solid waste that can be safely recycled after its final characterisation. The small quantity of radiological waste will be managed and stored safely onsite at Lucas Heights in their purpose-built facilities. Any hazardous (non-radiological) waste such as lead and lead-based paints, will be disposed of offsite at a purpose-built facility. 

In preparation for the decommissioning works, ANSTO engaged with various international organisations. This consultation extended to the German, British and Danish decommissioning teams to understand lessons learnt and best practice from their experiences in decommissioning the Danish reactor DR3, which commenced decommissioning in 2011 and is nearing completion. The DR3 is a sister reactor to HIFAR.