Antinuclear

Powerful union rubbishes Committee of Melbourne’s push for nuclear energy

One of the state’s most powerful unions, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), on Tuesday slammed a push from the Committee of Melbourne for nuclear energy to be on the agenda.

Nuclear too risky and costly: Brumby, Sydney Morning Herald, Melissa Jenkins and Catherine Best, October 19, 2010 –  Nuclear power is too risky and expensive to be an energy option for Victoria, Premier John Brumby says
One of the state’s most powerful unions, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), on Tuesday slammed a push from the Committee of Melbourne for nuclear energy to be on the agenda…………

Mr Brumby said the state’s power needs could be met by growing investment in green energy without going nuclear.

“The reason I’ve not supported that is, I think, nuclear power is expensive, there are some risks with that and we’ve had a longstanding policy in Victoria about a nuclear-free state,” he told reporters.

“What we’re wanting to do in Victoria is bring forward new renewable power and that’s the way to go in the future.”

ETU Victorian branch secretary Dean Mighell said the government had done “good work” in encouraging investment in solar energy.

“The worrying part for us is that nuclear would severely undermine that,” he told AAP.

“Governments could … say `well, we’ve cut emissions from brown coal because we’ve switched to nuclear, therefore we don’t need to do anything more in the renewable energy sector'”.

Mr Mighell said in 2007 he visited the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in Texas and spoke with industry figures there.

He said after hearing that there were no regulations in place or a potential site nominated, the industry figures said it would be decades before nuclear power in Australia could become a reality……..

Nuclear too risky and costly: Brumby

October 19, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, politics, uranium, Victoria | antinuclear, Australia, energy, nuclear, nuclear costs, renewable, uranium