| Agency Name: | Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation |
| Headquarters: | Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia |
| Preceding1: | Australian Atomic Energy Commission |
| Jurisdiction: | Australian Government |
| Motto: | Science. Ingenuity. Sustainability. |
| Employees: | 1,000+ |
| Minister1 Name: | Ed Husic |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister for Industry and Science |
| Chief1 Name: | The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett |
| Chief1 Position: | Chair of ANSTO |
| Chief2 Name: | Shaun Jenkinson |
| Chief2 Position: | Chief Executive Officer |
| Keydocument1: | Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Act 1987 (Cth) |
| Parent Department: | Department of Industry, Science and Resources |
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is a statutory body of the Australian Government that is responsible for nuclear research and the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. It was established in April 1987 to replace the former Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC), which was founded in 1952.
Its headquarters and main research facilities are on the southern outskirts of Sydney in Lucas Heights, Sutherland Shire.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Act 1987 (Cth) prescribes its general purpose.
ANSTO is governed by The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett.[1] Penelope Dobson is the deputy chair. The CEO, Shaun Jenkinson, manages the organisation.[2]
ANSTO operates five research facilities:
Major research instruments include:
ANSTO also manufactures radiopharmaceuticals and performs commercial work such as silicon doping by nuclear transmutation.
ANSTO has two nuclear research reactors onsite: The High Flux Australian Reactor, or HIFAR, in operation from 1958 to 2007, and the Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor (OPAL) designed by the Argentine company INVAP. HIFAR was permanently shut down on 30 January 2007. The OPAL reactor came online in November 2006 and the facility was officially opened on 20 April 2007.
A third, smaller unit, being a 100 kW thermal Argonaut-class reactor named MOATA, was in operation between 1961 and 1995, before being decommissioned in 2009. The reactor was initially commissioned to train Australian nuclear scientists in the operation of HIFAR, but its envelope was later widened to include neutron imaging and activation analysis, soil analysis, and radioisotopic medical research.
Spent fuel from the reactors is transported to Port Kembla, then shipped to France for reprocessing.[7]
In 2017, ANSTO announced the creation of a NiMo-SiC alloy for use in molten salt reactors.[8]