Antinuclear

The CSIRO Staff Association said internal documents from the research organisation revealed dozens of scientists specialising in ecological research were now at risk while experts devoted to new carbon capture techniques could also be on shaky ground. Continue reading →

NSW Liberal MP Angus Taylor, who was elected the member for Hume in the 2013 election, says gas is the better way to reduce carbon emissions and supply countries such as China and India with the energy they need to continue their rise……….

Mr Taylor’s comments put him at odds with Mr Abbott, who has repeatedly insisted that coal is “good for humanity” and the “foundation of prosperity” for “now and the foreseeable future”, because it is cheaper.

As recently as the G20, Mr Abbott said it was up to Australia and other energy exporters to deliver power to the fifth of the globe that doesn’t have access to electricity and said coal would be an “important part … for decades to come”.………

Recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said any honest conversation about reducing Australia’s domestic emissions had to include a debate about nuclear power, describing it as an“obvious direction” for a country blessed with uranium supplies.  http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-mp-rebukes-abbott-on-coal-and-says-gas-is-the-future-for-developing-nations-20141230-12fg3k.html

Writing in The Australian today, Senator Leyonhjelm says the environmental problems ­associated with nuclear power are “greatly exaggerated”.

He says it is true that the clean-up of the Fukushima site in Japan, which was badly damaged by a tsunami in 2011, would be costly, but “No one at Fukushima was exposed to enough radiation to get so much as a runny nose’’.

Senator Leyonhjelm says renewable energy such as solar and wind farms routinely occupy huge swaths of land for relatively small returns.

“You need to have drunk a particularly strong ideological kool-aid to believe a technology that covers the landscape in metal is good for the environment,’’ he says. “The volume of nuclear waste produced by nuclear power is smaller than most people are led to believe, it can be safely stored, and is likely to become re-usable as technology develops.”

As the debate over nuclear power is thrown open again, Rio has told the Abbott government’s energy white paper taskforce that it is important to ensure Australia — a major uranium exporter — has the “broadest possible” range of options to bolster energy ­security……….

Rio Tinto says [this] in a new ­submission in response to the energy green paper released in September.

“The lead time for nuclear energy is long, and it would be prudent to start taking steps now towards building the capability to make informed decisions  by 2020 on whether nuclear energy should be part of Australia’s energy mix.”………. The debate comes as a raft of submissions push for debate on nuclear power and companies including BHP Billiton, ANZ, Peabody Energy and Qantas Airways have made fresh submissions weighing into the debate on the nation’s energy future.

BHP, which like Rio is a major uranium producer, has told the taskforce that Australia is well-­positioned to capitalise on an expected growth in demand……..

The government’s energy green paper says nuclear energy remains a “serious consideration for future low emissions energy”.

Australia has not deployed nuclear power because of government policy, including legal bans, community sentiment, and the abundance of cheap energy. Also, Australia’s glut of electricity generation is expected to last until 2023-24. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/rio-pushes-for-nuclear-power-in-energy-debate/story-e6frg9df-1227141384763

The government has received a number of submissions to its energy industry review calling for nuclear power to be part of the mix.

Some companies and scientists say small modular reactors, similar to that used in submarines, could be operational within a decade with the right policies in place.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has “no theological objection” to nuclear energy as a way of providing carbon emissions-free baseload power. But Australia didn’t have the same energy shortages as other countries because of the abundance of coal and gas.

“If someone wants to put a proposal for nuclear energy generation here in Australia, fine, but don’t expect a government subsidy,” Mr Abbott said in Canberra on Monday.

“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen because it is economically feasible, not because the government runs around offering a subsidy.”

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on the weekend nuclear power was an “obvious direction” for Australia as it contemplated new carbon emissions reduction targets.

Ms Bishop will be in Peru on Monday for a UN climate conference to discuss reduction targets beyond 2020.