Australia’s govt and Opposition swing towards the nuclear industry
New Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg, who has said there is a moral obligation to exporting coal to provide energy for millions of people without access to electricity, has been a long-time supporter of nuclear power and said in his maiden speech that it was “inexplicable that in Australia we have yet to have a constructive and thorough debate about nuclear power, the only baseload, carbon-neutral energy source”.
Showing how the nuclear debate is moving, Mr Shorten also did not rule out nuclear power in the future, saying he would watch what the South Australian royal commission says
Nuclear power option should not be closed: federal government, Financial Review, by Laura Tingle, 27 Oct 15, The federal government is keeping open the possibility of adopting nuclear energy to fulfil Australia’s baseload electricity needs while asserting the central role of coal to global energy needs.
The government has told the South Australian Nuclear Royal Commission that nuclear power plants can deliver large amounts of electricity with very low carbon emissions, and should not be closed off as an option.
The revelation came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected a call by a group of 60 prominent citizens for a moratorium on coal exports and new mines amid a revived debate about Australia’s energy future.
“No I don’t agree with a moratorium on the idea of exploiting coal”, Mr Turnbull said on Tuesday, a position backed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten……. Continue reading
Conflict of interest in nuclear authorities: Dr Gordon Edwards explains
Dr Gordon Edwards at SA NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ROYAL COMMISSION hearing, 21 October 15
Dr Edwards gave a wonderful explanation of the danger of nuclear technology, focussing on explaining radioactivity.
He also spoke of his concerns about the independence of nuclear regulators, and of safety measures needed for population near nuclear facilities, for example, how Canada supplies potassium iodate pills to communities.
Extract DR EDWARDS: The complexity of the technology means that a lot of people 45 are mystified by it, including decision-makers, and politicians, for example, .SA Nuclear 21.10.15 P-742 Spark and Cannon generally don’t necessarily have a background in nuclear science. One of the only ones I know, I think, was Jimmy Carter, he was actually a nuclear engineer in the American nuclear navy. But outside of him, I don’t think of any major politician who has a background in nuclear science.
So that the technology is sufficiently complicated that people tend to be mystified by it and therefore feel a little bit – they find it difficult to judge, other than by trusting the experts in the industry itself. The difficulty with trusting the people in the industry itself, is that there is either consciously or unconsciously a kind of a conflict of interest there because they are devoted to the industry 10 and they want the industry to succeed and of course they try to reassure the public that it’s safe and they try their best to make it safe but there is this problem of – well, what if they weren’t so devoted to the industry and had the same knowledge, would they make the same judgment? Would they perhaps see it as being unsafe? And one of the difficulties with dangerous technologies 15 is that people who work on the technology feel conflicted and it’s difficult to blow the whistle on a technology that you truly believe in. So this is an inherent problem.
Similarly when you have a regulator, although independence is the goal, it’s 20 difficult to maintain that independence. The people in the regulatory body are often drawn from the very industry that they are regulating because they are experienced in that field and consequently you need people with understanding and expertise, so how do you kind of keep regulatory independent when in fact there is this constant interaction between the people in the regulatory body and 25 the people in the industry. They tend to come to see themselves as colleagues and if I might draw an analogy, you might think of the regulator as drifting towards being more of a coach than a referee…….So this problem of independence is not an easy one to deal with…….
Another thing that I think would be very helpful in my own opinion would be regulators, as the industry itself, they tend to be very top heavy with engineers and physical scientists, geologists and such like, 5 chemists, the so-called hard scientists and they tend to be extremely thin on biomedical expertise. I think it’s very helpful to have some biomedical expertise in the regulatory body because they have a different perspective. They have a different approach and also if and when things do go wrong, the biomedical team can be very helpful in advising the public and the workers and 10 everybody, as to what kind of precautions to take in terms of protecting yourself. What kind of foods should be avoided? What kind of measures should be taken? I think it would be very reassuring to the public to have such people on board.
Moreover, if you had a health department, which we do not have in our regulator, if you had a health department staffed with competent and independent biomedical people, they could also help to educate workers and the public as to why we are so careful with this technology. Why we must invest in all these safety precautions because they could make it clear what the dangers are. Continue reading
Time that Australia took a responsible attitude to radioactive trash management at Lucas heights
Australia’s Policy On Nuclear Waste Is All At Sea, Huffington Post, Dave Sweeney, 27 Oct 15 “…….. Australia has dropped the ball badly in relation to responsible radioactive waste management. For over 20 years, successive federal governments have repeatedly tried and failed to ‘solve’ this issue by imposing a national nuclear facility on unwilling remote communities. Apart from causing unnecessary and deep community stress, this approach has delivered little.
ANSTO’s Lucas Heights facility has secure tenure and is actively policed. The site is fenced and patrolled and both generates and is home to the majority of Australia’s radioactive waste. The facility is also home to Australia’s highest concentration of nuclear expertise and technology.
Furthermore, after an Aboriginal-led campaign saw Muckaty Station in the NT removed as a possible waste site during a Federal Court trial last year, ANSTO has improved its ability to store waste at Lucas Heights with a new dedicated and purpose built on-site storage facility.
Key parties including ANSTO, industry lobby group The Australian Nuclear Association, and federal regulator The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency all agree that the secure management of radioactive waste at ANSTO is feasible and credible. And in a rare case of consensus on matters nuclear, national environment groups agree.
Two decades of short-term political ‘fixes’ for a long-term environmental and human challenge have delivered very little. Extended interim storage at the site of production at Lucas Heights offers the least-worst solution and provides a circuit breaker in a long running but scarcely advanced public debate.
It gives us the assurance and ability to do what Australia has never done and clearly needs to do. We need an evidence-based and open review into the best options to most responsibly manage Australia’s radioactive waste.
In the interest of all, including future Australians, this is an opportunity we cannot afford to waste. http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/dave-sweeney/australias-nuclear-waste-_b_8387352.html
Camp Concern: protestors recall and reactivate anti nuclear campaign in Kakadu
“The mining company that has benefited and profited from the use of this area and the mining lease now needs to move towards a comprehensive clean-up.
“We’re still not completely aware of contamination problems that need to be rehabilitated.
“What’s promising is the protest from Aboriginal communities against the mining is as strong as ever. There’s a lesson [from Camp Concern] in partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists sharing information together.”
Camp Concern: Activists reunite for anti-uranium mining protest 40 years later inside Kakadu 105.7 ABC Darwin By Emilia Terzon and Lisa Pellegrino , 27 Oct 15 As uranium mining near Kakadu faces an uncertain future, activists calling themselves Camp Concern have reunited inside the Northern Territory park to mark 40 years on from the launch of an anti-mining protest. Continue reading
100% renewable energy electricity company launched in South Australia
South Australian company to launch country’s first 100 per cent renewable energy utility provider, ABC News By Alex Mann, 26 Oct 15 A South Australian company will launch the country’s first 100 per cent renewable energy utility company, with the author of the 2008 Climate Change Review signalling his support.
Professor Ross Garnaut has been appointed chairman of Zen Energy and said the company’s launch would be a game changer.
“I’ve been disappointed that the established energy companies have not taken the opportunity that’s there,” he said.
The company will use a combination of solar power generation, battery storage, and localised energy grids to create self-sustained communities that will buy back the power they generate.
For years, Zen Energy has been putting battery units in people’s homes.
Now its chief executive Richard Turner plans to take entire communities off the grid — from social housing stock, to apartment buildings and regional communities.
He said he will generate the power, then sell it back to users at a fraction of the current costs.
“We’re looking at a spot in the market very soon where we’re going to be almost half the cost of the grid,” he said.
It could be the end of the power grid as we know it
It is just the latest disruption in an energy revolution sweeping across Australia which could spell the end of the power grid as we know it……….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-26/sa-company-launch-renewable-energy-utility-company/6886578
Queensland’s huge wind solar plant goes ahead
Australia’s First Wind/Solar Plant To Be Built In Queensland October 28, 2015 Energy Matters Construction of a $140 million combined wind and solar energy facility in North Queensland is expected to begin within a year.
Kennedy Energy Park will go ahead as a result of a 50/50 joint venture agreement between Canberra-based Windlab Limited and Japan’s Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation.
The first stage of the Kennedy Energy Park will see 6 wind turbines and 64,000 solar panels installed. The wind turbines used will have the largest span in Australia – 136 metres in diameter. The first stage of the park will generate enough power to supply more than 25,000 Queensland homes.
The second stage will involve 1200 MW of renewable energy capacity; enough to meet most of the state’s contribution to Australia’s Renewable Energy Target.
Windlab Chief Executive Officer, Roger Price, says Kennedy Energy Park will be able to match North Queensland’s’ current energy demand profile more than 80% of the time.
“This particular site has been carefully mapped and we know it is predominantly windy through the afternoon and into the evening, and obviously experiences sunlight during daylight hours. This resource profile ensures almost constant energy production,” he said.
Flinders Shire Council has backed the project…….. http://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/kennedy-energy-park-em5153/
PM Turnbull appoints a nuclear energy enthusiast as Chief Scientist
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to appoint nuclear power advocate Dr Alan Finkel as chief scientist http://m.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-to-appoint-nuclear-power-advocate-dr-alan-finkel-as-chief-scientist/story-fnpp4dj5-1227581950975 October 26, 2015
The Herald Sun has learned that Dr Alan Finkel, a respected engineer who has long called for nuclear to be part of the nation’s energy mix, will this week be named as Australia’s chief scientist.
The appointment by Malcolm Turnbull could reignite public and political divisions over a nuclear industry, which has been debated since the mid-1970s and spawned a political and environment movement in the 1980s.
Dr Finkel, the outgoing chancellor of Monash University, has argued nuclear power is needed for Australia to achieve an “abundant, reliable supply of low-emissions electricity”.
The Prime Minister vowed last week to put science “right at the centre” of his Government’s agenda and at the “very heart” of its future.
As president of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Dr Finkel said Australia had a proud record for regulatory oversight and would “without doubt” be able to manage a nuclear electricity system at “very high safety levels” . Dr Finkel’s pending appointment comes as Labor leader Bill Shorten yesterday ruled out supporting a switch to nuclear energy, despite a push from state governments.
A divide within the party was reopened at the weekend, when Mr Shorten said he was prepared to assess the outcome of South Australia’s nuclear inquiry but federal Labor’s priority was renewable energy.
Mr Turnbull, as environment minister in the Howard government, said in order to deal with climate change, a “nuclear option” must be on the table while Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said last year nuclear was an “obvious direction” for Australia as it considered how to cut carbon dioxide emissions after 2020.
Dr Finkel will replace Professor Ian Chubb after his five-year stint as chief scientist.
Labor Leader Bill Shorten opposes nuclear industry mainly because it is ‘not viable’
Labor reopens nuclear divide at South Australian state ALP convention, Advertiser October 24, 2015 PAUL STARICK CHIEF REPORTER LABOR’S long-running nuclear energy divide reopened yesterday when federal leader Bill Shorten declared his opposition to reactors in Australia.
Speaking after the State Labor Convention, Mr Shorten said he was prepared to assess the outcome of South Australia’s present nuclear Royal Commission but federal Labor’s priority was renewable energy.
But Premier Jay Weatherill said SA had to take charge of creating future jobs — the state’s jobless rate is a nation-leading 7.7 per cent — and this included seriously considering a nuclear future…….
Asked whether he had an open mind about nuclear energy, Mr Shorten said he had always believed the cost outweighed the economic benefits, even before considering environmental safeguards.
“At this point, I don’t support nuclear energy. I don’t see it as a viable prospect — obviously I’ll see what the Royal Commission says,” Mr Shorten said………
State Labor president Peter Malinauskas told the conference it was right for the government to pursue jobs growth by “planting the seeds of new industries, like the clean and virtually carbon-free nuclear industry”…….
Tentative nuclear Royal Commission findings are expected to be released in February for public consultation, ahead of a final report in May…..http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/labor-reopens-nuclear-divide-at-south-australian-state-alp-convention/story-fni6uo1m-1227581198474?sv=89f1a1c2a3348d615bf8cb1f04ad75b0
Tourism industry at Maralinga – but how safe is Maralinga nuclear bomb site?
from THE AUSTRALIAN, 26 Oct 15 …… Robin Matthews, the weathered caretaker of Maralinga nuclear test site, welcomes his visitors with some soothing words: the endless expanse of red gibber plain is safe — just as long as you do not dig.
Concealed under the rusty soil lies 60-year-old secrets of the British Empire, where seven nuclear bombs were detonated and hundreds of minor trials using plutonium and other radioactive materials contaminated kilometres of land.
But look close enough and the remnants of the tests are there — from the salt bush that refuses to grow any taller than 30cm and marks out a wide circle in the blast zones to scattered shrapnel and dark-green glass scattered across ground zero at the Breakaway nuclear test site, created by the heat of the explosion……
Most of the land was handed back to the Maralinga Tjarutja Aboriginal people in 2009 after rehabilitation work was finished, but Defence held on to the weapons-testing range in the Woomera Prohibited Area. In November last year, the 1782sq km site was officially handed back to the Aboriginal people.
Government papers released in 2011 show the site had required further remediation, with the topsoil over the massive Taranaki trench — four football fields wide and three storeys deep and now the burial site for contaminated topsoil and machinery — eroding over time.
Maralinga-Tjarutja general manager Richard Preece said the traditional owners of the land still did not want anything to do with the area, which they described as mamu (devil) country…..
Mr Preece said Maralinga was not only a legacy for Aboriginal people, but also for all Australians who had to remediate the site and were now left with buried radioactive material.
“I find it incredible that somehow it was all right for the British government on foreign soil to create a radioactive mess that was completely left to Australia,” he said.
Poll shows Australians overwhelmingly reject coal and nuclear- solar is tops
“Most (84 per cent, up 2 points) prefer solar amongst their top three energy sources, followed by wind (69 per cent, up 5 points). Gas and nuclear both crashed 7 points to 21 and 13 per cent respectively, with nuclear and coal now tied as least preferred,” said John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute in a press release.
Australians support renewables? Absolutely, all we need now is a federal government that reflects the electorate’s view. The survey shows both the government and the Opposition need to “join mainstream Australian attitudes with climate commitments and policies” that promote clean energy
Climate Institute poll finds Australians support renewables August 18, 2015 Rich Bowden http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/climate-institute-poll-finds-australians-support-renewables/
Renewables appear to be a vote winner. Someone may want to tell our government. Continue reading
Australia’s PM Malcolm Turnbull will attend Paris UN climate conference
Turnbull to attend UN climate conference Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to attend December’s United Nations climate change conference in Paris. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/10/25/turnbull-attend-un-climate-conference Source: AAP
He has told the Guardian Australia he will head to Paris for the December conference after the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta, armed with the coalition’s 2030 emissions reduction target of 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels.
His predecessor Tony Abbott was not expected to attend the conference after he scrapped the carbon tax, reduced Australia’s renewable energy target and criticised wind farms for being ugly.
Before Turnbull became prime minister, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had been expected to represent Australia at the UN meeting instead of Abbott.
With its heavy use of coal-fired power, Australia is considered one of the world’s worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters.
Australia’s carbon emission targets criticised Continue reading
#NuclearCommissionSAust plans for radioactive trash dumping on Aboriginal land: a confusing issue
SA Royal Commission: Nuke waste dump on Aboriginal land? Really?, Independent Australia Noel Wauchope 23 October 2015 THIS IS clearly a terribly important question that needs discussion. When and if theNuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission (RC) ultimately results in establishing a nuclear waste import business in South Australia, it is a certain bet that it will be on Aboriginal land.
There are relatively few published submissions from Aboriginal people and organisations. However, these cannot be easily lumped into pro or anti nuclear boxes. There are some passionately anti nuclear ones. There are no passionately pro nuclear ones, but there’s more than a hint of support in the two submissions that take an apparently neutral stance. The RC has allowed Aboriginal people to choose whether or not their submissions are published.
A pro nuclear submission might evoke condemnation from environmentalists and other Aboriginal groups. This fact is recognised in the submission by Maralinga Tjarutja and Yalata Community Incorporated: …..
Transport of nuclear waste is dangerous. Lucas Heights reactor should be closed
Nuclear waste likely to be transported through the Illawarra, ABC News, 23 Oct 15 Ainslie Drewitt-Smith, Nuclear waste shipped from France to Australia is likely to land at Port Kembla.The ABC understands the 25 tonnes of treated waste is being returned to the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in November, and is already on a cargo ship bound for the port.
It’s expected the intermediate-level waste will be transferred to trucks, before being transported to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
Greens MLC John Kaye said transporting the waste through the Illawarra is risky. “It’s a very low probability event that there would be an accident, but if there is, it’s a very high consequence accident,” Dr Kaye said.
“Our concern with the nuclear cycle has always been nine times out of ten it’s fine, but then there’s one episode, and when that one episode happens, the results are totally catastrophic.”
The waste was sent to France in the 1990s to be processed, but its return to Australia was inevitable.While there were no issues with the original movement of the waste more than a decade ago, Dr Kaye said it’s not worth trying it again.
“The nuclear waste is set in a kind of glass, it’s then encased in a stainless steel vessel, but you can never keep anything 100 per cent safe,” he said. “The problem is, if there is an accident and one of those caskets is breached, the consequences for the local population are huge.”
Dr Kaye said ANSTO should be shut.
“This is a legacy of some very bad decision making that’s been happening in relation to Lucas Heights. It should have been shut ages ago,” he said.
“There should have been serious money invested into the alternative for isotopes used in medicine. Instead, we’ve continued with the same out of date process for creating these isotopes. It’s created this legacy of waste……..
ANSTO has confirmed in a statement on its website, the waste is on its way to Australia, but hasn’t said whether the material will land at Port Kembla, or be trucked through the Illawarra.
“Spent nuclear fuel was sent to France for reprocessing over four shipments in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the waste arising from that reprocessing operation is required under French law to have left that country by the end of 2015……..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-23/nuclear-waste-likely-to-be-transported-through-the-illawarra/6878860
Don’t let Western Australia be a radioactive quarry and waste dump
CCWA Campaign: Let’s keep WA nuclear free! Don’t let WA be a radioactive quarry and waste dump http://ccwa.org.au/campaigns/nuclearfreewa
(Check out the information provided here about uranium exploration in WA and the Kintyre, Wiluna, Mulga Rock and Yeelirrie uranium mine proposals – and radiation and health issues)
Nuclear Free WA , 23 Oct 15 WA has never had a commercial uranium mine; we’ve had state wide bans on uranium mining and federal restrictions on uranium mining and a long history of public opposition.
After the 2007 state election the newly elected State Liberal Government lifted a long standing ban on uranium in WA. This came shortly after the Australian Labor Party changed the three mine policy which has since the 1980s meant that there could only be three uranium mines operating in Australia. With these two decisions WA has become the target for many uranium miners.
There are now approximately 140 companies with uranium interests in WA, there are three proposed mines which are engaged in the State’s EPA approvals process followed closely by another two proposals which are advancing their exploration programs followed by about 80 + other uranium explorations.
Uranium mining in WA is not a done deal
No uranium mine has been approved in WA at a state level or a federal level and there is mounting concern in the communities about the dangers and implications of mining uranium. There are strong calls for a public inquiry into uranium mining from environment, social justice and public health groups, from traditional owners, unions and politicians.
WA has a strong history of opposition against the nuclear industry, we know it’s radioactive, we know that uranium and its by products can cause cancer, we know uranium mining and milling is water intensive and that we’re a dry state, we know that in Australia despite regulations and controls we have contaminated mine sites and weapons test sites that have never been cleaned up to a safe standard.
Nuclear and climate change
The nuclear industry and those who support it continue to talk about nuclear power being the solution to climate change, but we know there is carbon pollution associated with every stage of the nuclear fuel chain. We know that as ore grades decline mining and milling processes become more and more carbon intensive. Nuclear Power is polluting, radioactive, expensive and finite; it is unsafe, unwanted and un-necessary.
Australia’s military not up to date on climate change threats
Australia’s military stuck in the ‘wilderness’ over climate change, former ADF chief says, The Age, October 24, 2015 Peter Hannam Australia’s military planners have neglected climate change threats to the country and neighbours, leaving forces under-prepared for imminent and far-ranging challenges, say two retired senior officers – including a former Australian Defence Force chief………..
Michael Thomas, an army major who retired in June after 22 years of service, said the politicisation of climate change had been “a huge distraction to defence”.
“There are pockets of interest within the military on the subject but it’s not something that has captured the attention of our senior leadership,” Major Thomas said.
Both former military leaders outlined concerns in a recent report they wrote for the Climate Council and will lead a two-day panel at the Australian Defence Force Academy next week. They also detect a change of policy under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
A Defence spokesperson said the department “has been actively monitoring and addressing the impacts of climate change for a number of years”.
The upcoming Defence White Paper – originally due for completion last September – will address the full ranges of challenges facing the ADF out to 2035 “including the security implications of climate variability and extreme weather events in our region and beyond”, the spokesperson said.http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/australias-military-stuck-in-the-wilderness-over-climate-change-former-adf-chief-says-20151023-gkgl20.html#ixzz3piGfAcFI
1 This month.
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AUKUS – https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/
Australians deserve the truth
about AUKUS
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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