Development of OPAL
The foundations of OPAL began in 1997 when the Australian Government announced it would fund the construction of another research reactor to
replace the country's first reactor, HIFAR (High Flux Australian Reactor).
It was decided to build the replacement reactor on the same ANSTO site south of
Sydney, taking advantage of the area's sound geology and site infrastructure.
ANSTO has managed the overall design and construction of the new reactor in
conjunction with INVAP S.E., John Holland and Evans Deakin Industries Limited. OPAL had to meet the most stringent health, safety, security, environmental and quality assurance standards
before it could be operated.
On 13 July 2000, ANSTO signed a contract with the Argentine company INVAP S.E. and
its Australian alliance partners, John Holland Construction and Engineering Pty Ltd and
Evans Deakin Industries Limited, for the design, construction and commissioning of the replacement reactor to get things started.
INVAP was the prime contractor undertaking the design, procurement, installation and supervision of the commissioning and performance demonstration of the new reactor.
The project was formally launched on 14 June 2000.
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) issued a licence to construct the reactor on 5 April 2002. An operating licence was issued on 14 July 2006 and OPAL first went critical at 11.25 pm on 12 August 2006.
OPAL was officially opened in April 2007, the dawn of a new era for Australian science.