Almost half of South Australia backs the idea of a high-level nuclear waste dump in the state's outback but support is strongest in Adelaide, an Advertiser poll reveals.
The poll quizzed 474 people with 48 per cent overall supporting a controversial royal commission recommendation to build a dump to store 138,000 tonnes of overseas waste and generate more than $257 billion in revenue over 120 years.
Thirty-nine per cent of those questioned opposed the dump with 13 per cent uncommitted.
Nuclear opponents outnumbered supporters in the regions by 43 to 41 per cent.
Commissioner Kevin Scarce's tentative findings, released last week, advised against the construction of a nuclear power plant, saying it was unviable.
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He said three solid messages had emerged. People wanted the commission to detail what community consent to a dump would look like, how the storage of nuclear waste could be made safe and how to ensure future generations would benefit from it.
Conservation groups were more scathing, describing nuclear power as a dying industry and accusing the royal commission of ignoring the risks associated with waste storage including contamination, theft and terrorism.
But Business SA said it would give SA the chance to build substantial wealth over the medium to long term.
Mr Scarce's report is due on May 6 and the state government will not make any decisions before the end of the year.
