James W. Voss

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James 'Jim' Wilson Voss is an American senior nuclear engineer who has managed nuclear materials and radioactive waste since graduating from the University of Arizona in the 1970s. Voss became known to Australians through his managing directorship of Pangea Resources, a consortium which planned to establish a nuclear waste repository in Australia in the late 1990s. Pangea's proposal was ultimately rejected following the efforts of the anti-nuclear movement in Australia. Voss is currently working at UCL Australia as an Honorary Reader. As of 2015 Voss is a partner at Predicus Consulting and a director of companies in the USA and the United Kingdom.

Career

In 1998, Voss attempted to build a case for the establishment and private management of a nuclear waste repository at Billa Kalina in Australia. [1]

He has been responsible for what he describes as "nuclear waste engineering and radioactive facility and site remediation activities" in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. Voss has also held Chief Executive positions in several companies in the USA, Europe and Australia through which he has managed project financing, revenue streams and corporate strategies. Voss has served in the Executive Office of the President of the United States under two Presidents and has advised senior government officials in many countries.

Voss is a licensed engineer in the European Union (EurIng), a Chartered Engineer in the UK [2] and a Fellow of the UK Nuclear Institute. He organises the Waste Management Symposium, which is held annually in Tucson, Arizona. [3]

On 25 March 2014, Voss delivered a UCL Grote Lecture in Adelaide, South Australia. His presentation was entitled Energy and environmental public policy: Joining the dots between public policy, economics and implementation. [4]

In late 2015, Voss gave testimony on nuclear fuel leasing as an expert witness to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission in South Australia. [5]

In May 2016, Voss spoke at another Grote Lecture series event at UCL Australia entitled Circular Economy Series: Nuclear: A waste of time, energy and money?

Voss is the Managing Director of the waste management symposium Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle '16. Its inaugural event was held in Adelaide, South Australia on 15–16 November 2016. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioactive waste</span> Unusable radioactive materials

Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons reprocessing. The storage and disposal of radioactive waste is regulated by government agencies in order to protect human health and the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository</span> Unused deep geological repository facility in Nevada, US

The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, as designated by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act amendments of 1987, is a proposed deep geological repository storage facility within Yucca Mountain for spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste in the United States. The site is on federal land adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada, about 80 mi (130 km) northwest of the Las Vegas Valley.

Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", consisting of enriched uranium (U-235), uranium-233, and plutonium-239. Uranium ore concentrates are considered to be a "source material", although these are not subject to safeguards under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear Waste Policy Act</span> 1982 United States federal law

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 is a United States federal law which established a comprehensive national program for the safe, permanent disposal of highly radioactive wastes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep geological repository</span> Long term storage for radioactive and hazardous waste

A deep geological repository is a way of storing hazardous or radioactive waste within a stable geologic environment, typically 200–1,000 m below the surface of the earth. It entails a combination of waste form, waste package, engineered seals and geology that is suited to provide a high level of long-term isolation and containment without future maintenance. This is intended to prevent radioactive dangers. A number of mercury, cyanide and arsenic waste repositories are operating worldwide including Canada and Germany. Radioactive waste storage sites are under construction with the Onkalo in Finland being the most advanced.

Nuclear decommissioning is the process leading to the irreversible complete or partial closure of a nuclear facility, usually a nuclear reactor, with the ultimate aim at termination of the operating licence. The process usually runs according to a decommissioning plan, including the whole or partial dismantling and decontamination of the facility, ideally resulting in restoration of the environment up to greenfield status. The decommissioning plan is fulfilled when the approved end state of the facility has been reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Nuclear Association</span> International non-profit organization

World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, uranium conversion, uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel fabrication, plant manufacture, transport, and the disposal of used nuclear fuel, as well as electricity generation itself.

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Pangea Resources Australia Pty Ltd was a company notable for a proposal for an international high-level radioactive waste repository in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-level radioactive waste management</span> Management and disposal of highly radioactive materials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission</span> Royal Commission on Australias role in nuclear fuel

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission is a Royal Commission into South Australia's future role in the nuclear fuel cycle. It commenced on 19 March 2015 and delivered its final report to the Government of South Australia on 6 May 2016. The Commissioner was former Governor of South Australia, Kevin Scarce, a retired Royal Australian Navy Rear-Admiral and chancellor of the University of Adelaide. The Commission concluded that nuclear power was unlikely to be economically feasible in Australia for the foreseeable future. However, it identified an economic opportunity in the establishment of a deep geological storage facility and the receipt of spent nuclear fuel from prospective international clients.

Timothy John Stone, CBE is a British businessman and senior expert adviser with interests in infrastructure, finance, nuclear power and water supply. He is a non-executive director of the Arup Group, chairman of Nuclear Risk Insurers and former non-executive director of Horizon Nuclear Power and a former senior expert non-executive director on the board of the European Investment Bank. He was also a non-executive director of Anglian Water from 2011 to 2015. He was appointed Chair of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association in October 2018.

Stefaan J. R. Simons is a chemical engineer and senior academic employed by the University College London. In 2012, he was appointed Director of the International Energy Policy Institute (IEPI) and the inaugural BHP Billiton Chair of Energy Policy at UCL Australia. Prior to moving to Australia, Simons established the School of Engineering at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan-– the world's largest producer of uranium. Simons' work has been published in over 200 journals, books and conference proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Noonan (environmentalist)</span>

David Noonan is an Australian environmentalist and member of the anti-nuclear movement in Australia. Noonan is a former anti-nuclear campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, and has been a prominent spokesperson during campaigns against the expansion of uranium mining in Australia and against the establishment of nuclear waste storage facilities. He has a science degree and a Masters in Environmental Studies.

The nuclear industry in South Australia is focused on uranium mining, milling and the export of uranium oxide concentrate for use in the production of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. The state is home to the world's largest known single deposit of uranium, which is worked by BHP at the Olympic Dam mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future</span>

A Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future was appointed by President Obama to look into future options for existing and future nuclear waste, following the ending of work on the incomplete Yucca Mountain Repository. At present, there are 70 nuclear power plant sites where 65,000 tons of spent fuel is stored in the USA. Each year, more than 2,000 tons are added to this total. Nine states have "explicit moratoria on new nuclear power until a storage solution emerges". A deep geological repository seems to be the favored approach to storing nuclear waste.

The Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority was established on 1 June 1997 as a state organisation established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In 2001, SÚRAO assumed the status of a government agency. The Authority is headed by its managing director, Dr. Jiří Slovák. The governing body of SÚRAO consists of its Board which is made up of representatives from the government, radioactive waste producers and the general public. The managing director and members of the Board of SÚRAO are directly appointed by the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Dr Ian Duncan is a businessman active in the Australian resources sector. He is a past president of operations at the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia under Western Mining Corporation. He was Chairman of the London-based Uranium Institute in 1995-1996. From the 1990s to the present, Duncan has advocated for nuclear industrial development in Australia, specifically the development of facilities to store and dispose of nuclear waste and the legalization and development of nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology, Science and Engineering (ATSE), the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), and Engineers Australia.

References

  1. Holmes, Dave; Green, Jim (1999). Dollars for Death: Why Uranium Mining and the Nuclear Industry Must be Stopped. Resistance Books. p. 57. ISBN   9780909196981.
  2. "Predicus Consulting : Partners". www.predicusconsulting.com. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  3. Vitu, Teya (2007-03-12). "No room at the inn for Tucson nuclear convention". tucsoncitizen.com. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  4. "UCL Grote Lecture: Energy and environmental public policy: Joining the dots". Eventbrite. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  5. "15 OCTOBER – PUBLIC SESSIONS – TOPIC 8 | Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission". nuclearrc.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  6. "Contact Us". www.wmsym.org.au. Retrieved 2016-11-02.