Here’s why there is no nuclear option for Australia to reach net zero

  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 55 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 25%
  • Publisher: 98%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

Any call to go directly from coal to nuclear is effectively a call to delay decarbonisation of our electricity system by 20 years

, a technology that is not yet proven, but which the shadow minister for energy, Ted O’Brien, says could be “

Let’s unpack the pros and cons of nuclear power, the obstacles to getting it up and running in Australia by the mid-2040s, and the longer-term prospects.From a purely engineering perspective, there is no better source of zero emissions electricity than nuclear power. The reasons are many.Nuclear power plants can dispatch electricity when requested and they are directly compatible with the 50 cycles a second alternating current electricity system.

After that, we would need to beef up the regulatory system, find the first site, find and license the first operator, approve and issue construction contracts, establish a waste-management system, establish the decommissioning rules and decommissioning fund, run the environmental and safety regulatory gamut, train a workforce, respond to the inevitable protests and respond to the inevitable legal opposition all the way to the high court.

The trouble is, there are no SMRs operating in the UK, Europe, Canada, the US or any other OECD country. Nor are any SMRs under construction or approved in an OECD country.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Singapore Backs Australia Over AUKUS Submarines, Undercutting Keating's ClaimSingapore supports Australia's decision on AUKUS submarines, contradicting former prime minister Keating's claim. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong advises China to drop trade sanctions against Australia and highlights Australia's role in regional security and stability. Keating calls for the sacking of Australia's spy chiefs for undermining ties with Beijing.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

Affordable housing beyond reach in all Australia’s eastern capitals, data showsOnly Perth and Darwin buck the trend, according to analysis by the Greens, who say home ownership has become an ‘impossible dream’
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Global heating could cause an extra 1.2m lamb deaths in Australia each year, study findsUniversity of Adelaide study finds potential lamb deaths from heat stress could increase from 2.1m to 3.3m per year under a 3C rise
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

New budget ute arrives in AustraliaNew Chinese car brand Jac Motors is going to deliver relief for Aussie tradies on the hunt for an affordable ute.
Source: newscomauHQ - 🏆 9. / 77 Read more »

Students flocking to Australia despite visa confusionInternational students are still flooding into the country, but record visa rejections have some wondering what’s going on.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

Australia house prices: The Westpac data that should make the RBA wary of cutting interest ratesAustralia is a nation obsessed with house prices, and with 60 per cent of people planning to buy in the next five years, the central bank is unlikely to be immune from that.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »