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Let's stop avoiding the nuclear question

By Tristan Prasser - posted Tuesday, 25 February 2020


There is an exciting and innovative narrative to be told regarding nuclear energy that is often neglected and ignored. Australia has long been a nuclear nation, with globally respected nuclear scientists and experts as well as regulatory and scientific bodies such as ANSTO and ARPANSA. We have developed crucial nuclear technologies such as synroc, used to contain nuclear waste. Australia is a major contributor to nuclear medical science and supplier of life-saving medical isotopes thanks to the OPAL research reactor at Lucas Heights. We export our annual electricity demand in uranium to the EU, China, India, South Korea, and the US.

Like renewables and batteries, nuclear technologies continue to evolve and improve. Today numerous companies such as GE Hitachi, Rolls-Royce, Terrapower, Terrestrial Energy, Thorcon and Nuscale, are working on smaller, safer, and more efficient designs often referred to as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Such reactors promise to overcome the financial burdens and safety concerns that have long plagued conventional reactors, particularly in the West.

The most exciting aspect of such designs will be the ability and flexibility to be deployed for a variety of purposes beyond just electricity generation. These include being used for desalination and producing process heat for industrial applications such as smelting, manufacturing, and synthetic fuel production such as hydrogen. Importantly, nuclear technologies are able to provide such services, with zero-emissions and minimal land use and material-use impacts. At the same time, it can provide always-on power, 365 days a year - energy that is needed to power cities and industry. This makes such technology ideal for Australian conditions.

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So why is it that as a nation we continue to deny our own nuclear expertise and experience? That we restrict ourselves to limited and inadequate solutions to generating clean and reliable electricity? That we continue to export uranium for others to use to generate zero-emission electricity? If climate change is as catastrophic as we are led to believe, why would we continue to prohibit the use of one of the largest sources of carbon-dioxide free energy? If the promotion of nuclear energy is truly a right-wing conspiracy, why is it that progressive social democratic countries - such as Finland, France, and Sweden - use it?

The parliamentary inquiry has broken ground on this topic, now it is up to the government to provide the necessary leadership to drive this beyond a niche debate to one of national importance that seeks to get political buy-in rather than opposition. If as a nation we are genuinely interested in scientific inquiry, retaining our prosperity, rejuvenating our industry, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and protecting the environment, let's at the very least stop avoiding the nuclear power question, so Australians can have a serious discussion about it.

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This article was first published on Urban Source.



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About the Author

Tristan Prasser is co-editor and contributor for Urban Source. He is a graduate of UQ and ANU and has worked previously in the Queensland State Government and higher education sector in Australia and the UK. He has a keen interest in energy and urban policy and advocates the use of nuclear power in Australia.

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