Antinuclear

Nuclear future off the agenda in Port Augusta, as locals turn to renewables and mining

ABC News, By Kathryn Bermingham, Stateline, 15 May 25

In short:

Port Augusta was thrust into the spotlight when it was announced as one of several sites earmarked, under a Coalition election pledge, to host a nuclear reactor.

While the Coalition has not formally abandoned the plan, its resounding defeat at the recent federal election suggested voters did not embrace the idea.

What’s next?

As Port Augusta looks ahead, locals say its future could lie in several directions, including renewables and mining…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Nuclear off the agenda

Port Augusta was thrust into the national spotlight last year when it was announced as one of the sites earmarked to host a nuclear reactor under a Coalition election pledge.

The proposal drew mixed responses within the town, with some welcoming a potential economic boost and others raising concerns around safety, the environment, and the suitability of nuclear for the grid.

While the Coalition has not formally abandoned the plan, its resounding defeat at the recent federal election suggested voters did not embrace the idea……………………….

………………………. A future in power generation

Greg Bannon felt the region had scarcely settled one nuclear debate — the now-scrapped proposal to build a low-level nuclear waste dump near Kimba — when the Coalition’s plan was put forward.

“It was really like a punch in the guts,” he said.

Mr Bannon, who lives 40 kilometres from Port Augusta at Quorn and had campaigned against the dump, said Port Augusta has had to reinvent itself in the past and could do so again.

“We also had a very big railway workshop here, it was a huge employer with lots of apprenticeships,” he said.

“Railways built everything. So that was a big loss when that was taken away and of course the most recent large employer has been the coal-fired power station.”

He said the transition to renewables had been more economically beneficial than some gave it credit for — and maintained that Port Augusta’s future was still in energy generation.

“Renewables have provided jobs,” he said.

“We’ve got Sundrop Farm down there, which … grows tomatoes from gulf water that’s been desalinated and solar mirrors.”………………………………………………….. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-15/nuclear-off-the-table-for-port-augusta/105285976

May 16, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, South Australia