The Wire

The OPAL nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights will remain closed until at least January 2008. The four hundred million dollar operation was initially shut down after only three months of activity due to problems with unstable nuclear fuel rods. But don’t expect to hear too much more about the reactor until after the election. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation says that under pre-election caretaker conventions, they can’t give any more information about the progress of tests and repairs at OPAL as the issue is “too political”.