Nuclear power in Australia would increase electricity costs, slow the transition to a low-carbon economy and introduce the potential for catastrophic accidents, a new Australian Conservation Foundation report says.
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It comes a day after Coalition senators moved to introduce a Private Senators Bill to remove Australia's ban on nuclear energy, which has existed since 1998.
The bill says nuclear power is one of the safest forms of energy and will play a vital role in achieving the nation's emission targets moving forward.
The Nuclear for Climate Australia group has previously identified Liddell Power Station in Upper Hunter among a host of sites including Portland in Victoria, Lithgow, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Townsville that is says could form the backbone of a future nuclear-powered grid.
But the ACF report Wrong reaction: Why 'next-generation' nuclear is not a credible energy solution, argues that so-called 'next generation' nuclear power, which has been proposed for Australia, does not exist in the commercial world.
"Proponents of nuclear power in Australia are not calling for the deployment of existing nuclear reactor technology, which is known to be high cost and high risk. Instead, they promote 'next-generation' technology, which simply does not exist in the commercial world," ACF nuclear expert Dave Sweeney said.
"Existing nuclear power technology has been plagued by cost overruns and poor economic performance. Every independent economic assessment finds that electricity from small modular reactors would be even more expensive than power from large reactors.
"Small modular reactors have lower thermal efficiency than large reactors, which generally translates to higher fuel consumption and spent fuel volumes over the life of a reactor.
"Globally just two small modular reactors are understood to be in operation. One is in Russia and the other in China and in both cases the cost blowouts have been extensive."
The ACF report outlines several 'next-generation' nuclear projects that have been cancelled over the past decade.
It cites research from CSIRO and the national energy market operator showing renewables are the cheapest energy source in Australia, while nuclear would be the most expensive.
"We cannot afford to waste more time in transitioning to a low-carbon future. Nuclear is a dangerous distraction to effective climate action," Mr Sweeney said.
"Australia is blessed with amazing clean energy resources, good infrastructure and smart people. Our energy future is renewable, not radioactive."
The federal energy minister Chris Bowen recently said that nuclear power was the most expensive form of power Australia could invest in.
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
