Parliamentary inquiry finds nuclear is high risk, zero reward.
RenewEconomy, Jim Green, Feb 26, 2025
An Interim Report was released on Tuesday by the House Select Committee on Nuclear Energy, and splits on party lines, with the independent MP Monique Ryan listing a myriad reasons why nuclear is unsuitable for Australia.
Labor MPs have the numbers on the committee and their majority report states that nuclear power “cannot be deployed in time to support Australia’s critical energy transition targets and climate commitments, or to assist the coal workforce and communities in their transition away from the coal industry.”
The interim report says the committee “received compelling evidence nuclear power would cost consumers more to use”. The report continues:
“Evidence received about the private sector’s lack of interest in investing in nuclear power in Australia and the history of issues with private investment in nuclear power internationally highlights the financial challenges for this source of power, making taxpayer funding of an uncertain nuclear venture during a cost-of-living crisis a significant risk.”
The report notes that the evidence the committee received “strongly indicated SMR [small modular reactor] technology is not yet commercially available and so is not a viable option for Australia’s energy needs.”
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen commented on the report’s findings:
“Peter Dutton is determined to ignore the experts, reverse policies that bring the cost of energy down, and stick his head in the sand until the 2040s wishing his $600bn nuclear scheme will fix everything. It’s a disaster for our energy system now, and a guaranteed recipe for big bills, blackouts, and bad investments. “
“We already have a solution that works for today, and for this critical decade, that delivers jobs for people transitioning away from coal now, that reduces emissions, and that gets more of the cheapest form of energy into the grid. That solution is reliable renewable energy and the Albanese Government is delivering it.”
Independent MP Monique Ryan
If the Coalition hoped to sway independent MP and committee member Dr. Monique Ryan, they were sorely disappointed. Dr. Ryan said in her ‘Additional Comments’ to the main report that an “ongoing pursuit of nuclear energy options will only perpetuate and increase Australia’s reliance on coal and gas”.
Dr. Ryan reached the following conclusions:
* There are considerable roadblocks to nuclear energy in this country
* Necessary regulatory framework for health, safety, security, environmental impacts, and transport of fuels and waste would likely take some years to develop
* Australia currently lacks the workforce and technical capability required for building multiple large-scale nuclear reactors
* Independent experts (including from the CSIRO and Australian Energy Regulator) repeatedly told the Inquiry that it would take at least 15 years to build a single nuclear reactor — possibly as long as 25 years
* The Coalition’s proposal would provide only 15% of the country’s electricity requirements by 2050
* Under current projections, by 2030 more than 84% of the main national electricity grid will be powered by renewables; 96% by 2035
* Nuclear power is the most expensive form of energy
* Nuclear power does not compete economically
* Australians would pay more for electricity generated from nuclear plants
* Nuclear energy lacks social licence in many parts of Australia
* The impact of nuclear power generation on Australia’s water supplies has been inadequately considered by the Coalition in its proposal.
Coalition dissenting report
The Coalition committee member’s dissenting report goes to some lengths to defend that Coalition’s indefensible claim that nuclear power would reduce energy costs and power bills. Those claims have been thoroughly debunked…………………………………………..
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