Antinuclear

On an earthquake fault line, financially unviable – but Prof Ian Plimer wants nuclear power at Port Adelaide

• SA-born professor Ian Plimer says Port Adelaide should be considered as a site for a nuclear power plant KURTIS EICHLER PORTSIDE MESSENGER FEBRUARY 12, 2015 

But a local conservationist has slammed Professor Ian Plimer’s idea, saying a nuclear-power plant in the western suburbs would be costly and hurt the environment.

Prof Plimer, an expert geologist and professor of earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, has supported Premier Jay Weatherill’s Royal Commission into nuclear power……..

Prof Plimer prefers the use of uranium technology over thorium.

“(This is because) the technology for a thorium generated power station is not as mature as a uranium one,” he said.

But former Port Adelaide Environment Forum deputy chairman Kingsley Haskett doesn’t agree, saying nuclear power is not “financially viable”. Mr Haskett acknowledges it is safe but says the “old technology” is “bloody expensive”.

“It requires a very large client base because it’s not cheap unless you’re supplying hundreds of thousands of users as it has a base-load power source,” Mr Haskett said.

“It cannot ever be shut down and it can never be shut off.”

He strongly disagrees Port Adelaide is a suitable location for a nuclear power plant. “It couldn’t be done at the Port because there is a fault line along the river,” he said.

Mr Haskett said water used to cool down the plant would likely have to pumped back into the ocean.

He argues this would have environmental impacts because there would be “some level of radiation”. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/sa-born-professor-ian-plimer-says-port-adelaide-should-be-considered-as-a-site-for-a-nuclear-power-plant/story-fni9llx9-1227215716184

February 13, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized