Antinuclear

With friends like Martin Ferguson, renewable energy doesn’t need enemies

Call on our nuclear path looms http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/call-on-our-nuclear-path-looms/story-fn59niix-1226513326556 BY: SID MAHER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT  The Australian November 09, 2012 AUSTRALIA may have to decide whether to proceed with nuclear power by the end of the decade if global and national progress on renewable energy technologies fails to develop at the expected pace.

The energy white paper says the Australian government does not support the adoption of nuclear power. However, it says nuclear may enter consideration if new low-emissions baseload energy technology cannot be commercialised in time to meet emissions reduction targets.

Given the long lead times, this would force Australia to make a choice on nuclear energy by late this decade, the paper says.

Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said the government did not support the use of nuclear energy, but it could not produce an energy white paper without acknowledging its existence. “If we get to a point in the future where the community comes to a conclusion that, to achieve baseload clean energy at the lowest possible cost, nuclear is competitive then the community will make that decision in the future,” he said.

The white paper says estimates of future costs for nuclear suggest it could be an economically competitive backstop energy option.

But international experience suggests the establishment of a commercially based nuclear energy industry in Australia would require some initial government support.

The development of the industry would need a lead time of 10-15 years, making the end of this decade the cut-off if the technology is to be deployed by 2030-35, which would allow emissions reductions in line with clean energy policies.

The white paper cites carbon capture and storage as critical to meeting long-term global emissions reduction targets, given the planned expansion of coal-fired power in China and India.

The International Energy Agency estimates that CCS could account for
up to 20 per cent of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions reductions by
2050. But it says progress has been slow to date, and warns:
“Abandoning CCS as a mitigation option now would significantly
increase the cost of achieving emissions reductions to limit average
global temperature increases to 2C.”

The white paper says Australia will probably rely on technology
developments overseas as renewables are commercialised. “Australia is
unlikely to develop large-scale manufacturing industries for
clean-energy technologies as we lack the market scale and lower cost
base of many competitor economies,” it says. But it says Australia is
already creating valuable intellectual property.

The paper specifically rejects claims by environmentalists that the
government is providing subsidies to fossil fuel production.

“A number of these claims relate to the existence of various business
tax deductions or specific tax treatments for activities associated
with energy resource development or production.

“The Australian government notes that the ability to deduct business
expenses does not in itself constitute a subsidy.”

November 8, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, energy