The Australian government said there were no environmental reasons to prevent the building of a new A$286 million nuclear reactor in Sydney's south-west. "All of the evidence before me confirms the proposed research reactor will be safe with no significant risk to the environment or the community," Environment Minister Robert Hill said in a statement. Construction of the replacement reactor, to be built on the site of the existing reactor at Lucas Heights in outer suburban Sydney, was now expected to start in 2002, Hill said.