WESTERN Australia has moved its proposed site for the $2 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio astronomy project.

WA was one of two sites short-listed by international astronomers last year for the major project, the other site is in South Africa.

WA Premier Alan Carpenter announced on Wednesday that the site would move 90km west from Mileura Station to an adjacent site at Boolardy Station, after a mining road was built through the proposed radio-quiet reserve at the initial site.

“Moving the SKA site will resolve the problem that has arisen between mining activities in the Mid-West and the need to maintain the radio quietness of the region,” Mr Carpenter said.

“Still within the original protected zone, the new site offers a 70km buffer to enable both radio astronomy and mining activities to co-exist in the Mid-West.”

The State Government will also continue to work with their Federal counterparts to develop legislation to protect the SKA from unacceptable levels of radio frequency interference.

Mobile phones, CB radios and other devices on mining equipment, trains and trucks could all interfere with the sensitive work of the SKA.

Once completed the SKA will be 50 times bigger and have 10,000 times more information gathering power than current radio astronomy facilities like the Very Large Array in the USA.

For Professor Peter Quinn, one of the Premier’s Research Fellows, the SKA presents an exciting opportunity to solve some unanswered questions.

“The SKA project will help us better understand the origin and evolution of the universe, how galaxies and planets are formed and the powers of cosmic magnetism,” Professor Quinn said.

The State Government has already allocated more than $4 million towards the SKA and international collaborators have been attracted to astronomy projects in WA because of our bid for the project.

“This is an exciting, once in a century project, that would place WA at the world forefront of radio astronomy,” Mr Carpenter said.

It is also hoped the 50 year project would offer longer-term regional employment and simulate growth in WA’s ICT industry.

A final decision on the location of the SKA is expected by the end of 2010.