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Just weeks after losing the election, the new leaders of the Coalition parties have called for a “mature discussion” about nuclear power. It’s the latest iteration of a decades-long debate over the merits of atomic energy, this time against the backdrop of the energy crisis and the nuclear submarine deal.
Energy minister Chris Bowen is highly sceptical about whether what he dubs the “most expensive form of energy” can solve high energy prices. As John Quiggin points out, nuclear could potentially work in Australia, if we had a carbon price to make atomic fission competitive with coal; if new small modular reactors prove themselves; and if Australians agree on its merits and where to put the reactors. Those are some very big ifs.
The very first step, Quiggin argues, is for both the Coalition and Labor to talk about pricing carbon. Without that, nuclear is a fantasy.
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Doug Hendrie
Deputy editor, Environment & Energy
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