Antinuclear

Australian Liquified Natural Gas likely to boom as effect of Japanese nuclear disaster

Nuclear Power Worries Boost Standing of Australian LNG – WSJ.com MARCH 16, 2011, By ROSS KELLY, SYDNEY—A global shift away from nuclear power in response to the atomic plant crisis unfolding in Japan will likely spur a scramble for Australian energy, catapulting the country ahead of Qatar as the world’s biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas in the near future.Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami risk damaging the prospects of nuclear power for decades to come, as radiation leaks raise concerns over plant safety. Some governments, including those of Germany and Switzerland, have already signaled a willingness to review plans to make new nuclear reactors a cornerstone of their strategy to slow emissions growth. Australia’s abundant reserves of natural gas could help fill any gaps that appear in the global energy mix following the events in Japan.

“The Japanese tragedy could lead to a setback for the world’s nuclear renaissance—except perhaps in China—leaving gas as the fuel of ‘no choice’ in [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] countries, where voters might decide against the nuclear option,” said Thierry Bros, energy analyst at Societe Generale in Paris.

Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which is natural gas supercooled to liquid form and exported around the world on tankers, is less emissions-intensive than other fossil fuels, including coal. It is also cheaper to produce…..

Nuclear Power Worries Boost Standing of Australian LNG – WSJ.com

March 16, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, business