Ten reasons why nuclear energy is a bad idea for Australia

As at all times appears to be the way in which, energy and climate policy is proving to be an space of rivalry between the foremost events in Australia’s 2025 election.

One problem that is provoked a number of dialogue and confusion is the Liberal-Nationwide Coalition’s proposal to construct seven nuclear power plants across Australia.

It is a controversial concept that’s opposed by Labor, the Greensmany independent MPs and a few Liberal groups.

Each the Climate Change Authority and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Analysis Group (CSIRO) concluded that the deployment of nuclear vitality in Australia would considerably enhance the nation’s vitality costs and trigger us to overlook our local weather change targets.

With the federal election marketing campaign in full swing, there’s a number of data and disinformation on the market on nuclear vitality. These are my 10 principal the reason why nuclear vitality could be a foul thought for Australia.

1. Too costly

It is extraordinarily costly to construct and function nuclear power plants anyplace on this planet. Impartial evaluation by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) discovered that constructing nuclear energy in Australia may see average household electricity bills rise by $AUD665 a year.

Estimates by CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for the 2024–2025 GenCost Report additionally discovered renewables are the cheapest option for any new electrical energy technology.

2. Too sluggish

Even when we drop every thing else and throw all our weight behind nuclear vitality, it would not play a task in Australia’s vitality grid for greater than a decade.

It took an average of 11 years to construct the nuclear reactors that got here on-line around the globe in 2023—largely in nations with a well-established nuclear business, like China.

In Australia, CSIRO estimates it could take at least 15 years earlier than we might attain the primary nuclear technology.

3. Too dangerous

Nuclear accidents are uncommon however they’ve devastating penalties.

The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the Fukushima disaster in 2011 contaminated giant areas and proceed to affect the well being of a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals. Each disasters prompted a rise in anti-nuclear sentiments within the Australian public.

Additionally they led to nearly all of German residents supporting an finish to nuclear energy within the nation, with the three final remaining nuclear power plants in Germany taken offline in 2023.

4. Onerous to construct

Nuclear energy stations are big and sophisticated infrastructure initiatives that nearly by no means keep on schedule.

The UK’s Hinkley Level C nuclear plant development is now working 14 years late and is costing three times more than it was estimated: a whopping $AUD90 billion.

Smaller nuclear energy crops, referred to as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), have been proposed instead, however there are not any recognized industrial SMRs operational anyplace on this planet.

The one firm to have a small modular nuclear energy plant permitted within the US has since canceled its first project attributable to rising prices.

5. Produces nuclear waste

As soon as in operation, nuclear reactors repeatedly produce radioactive waste. Usually, this waste is buried underground, the place it remains radioactive for thousands of years.

Australia already produces a comparatively small quantity of low-level radioactive waste for some medical and analysis actions.

Nevertheless, Australia at present doesn’t have any waste storage facilities to course of high-level radioactive waste that will be produced by nuclear reactors—and up to date efforts to build the country’s first radioactive waste storage facility have failed.

6. Makes use of plenty of water

Nuclear reactors have to be cooled always, which requires excessive volumes of water.

It won’t make sense to change to a water-intensive vitality supply within the driest inhabited continent on this planet, which is already dealing with increasing droughts and extreme heat.

Even nations like France and Sweden—with dramatically cooler climates in comparison with Australia—are more and more being compelled to close down their nuclear energy crops throughout heat intervals when their cooling water heats up.

This implies they then should import vitality from neighboring nations.

7. No vitality safety

Australia’s remaining coal-fired energy stations are previous and increasingly breaking downwith over 60% of our coal-generating capacity now more than 40 years old.

Even in probably the most optimistic eventualities, nuclear energy is unlikely to return on-line earlier than 2040, by which era all of Australia’s coal plants will have retiredin line with the Nationwide Electrical energy Market.

In different phrases, the timelines for a coal-to-nuclear transition do not add up.

Extending the life of those ageing coal-power crops would imply spending billions to prop up coal reasonably than investing in updating the electrical energy grid and increasing cheaper and available types of vitality like renewables.

8. No experience

Whereas nuclear technology is properly established in lots of nations, it has by no means been deployed in Australia.

We at present lack the skilled workforce and technical functionality required for constructing a large-scale nuclear reactor.

Any try to go nuclear would depart Australia reliant on international firms and experience. That is one thing we’re seeing play out in constructing and sustaining the nuclear submarines Australia agreed to host as a part of the AUKUS deal.

As compared, the renewable vitality business already creates greater than 25,000 local jobs in Australia and that is anticipated to develop.

9. We’ll miss our local weather objectives

Whereas nuclear vitality is a type of low-emissions vitality in lots of nations with established pre-existing nuclear services, specializing in the event of recent nuclear vitality in Australia is a diversion from taking real climate action.

Australia’s Local weather Change Authority (CCA) not too long ago launched an in depth evaluation concluding {that a} nuclear pathway for Australia would lead to an additional 2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

It will prolong the usage of some coal-fired turbines, decelerate the uptake of fresh applied sciences, and impede present nationwide plans to deliver 82% renewable electricity by 2030.

10. Unlawful in Australia

Within the late Nineties, the Australian Federal Authorities launched a number of new legal guidelines banning nuclear vitality, together with the National Radiation and Nuclear Safety Act (1998).

This Act prohibited the event of any new nuclear energy websites in Australia.

The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) additionally launched guidelines stopping the development or operation of any services that generate nuclear energy.

Constructing nuclear reactors is at present illegal in every Australian state and territory.

In the end, pursuing a prolonged, costly and doubtlessly dangerous vitality supply is a misguided step for Australia, notably when we have now all of the sources and potential to make us a renewable vitality superpower.