Canavan Keeping The Nuclear SMR Vaporware Dream Alive 

Coal power’s demise and the 10-year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster in Japan have put the nuclear energy debate in Australia in the spotlight again.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that began unfolding on March 11, 2011 was the most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Its impacts are still felt today and will continue to into the future.

A joint statement from the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Electrical Trades Union released yesterday notes the anniversary and recognises the impact on workers and local communities exposed to radiation.

A not-so-fun fact according to the two organisations – it was Australian uranium that was fuelling the power station at the time of the disaster.

The statement says the nuclear industry poses too big a risk to human health and safety to be viable, particularly when there are safer alternatives such as renewable energy (which is cheaper too).

“Despite this reality, a small minority of pro-nuclear politicians and industry associations continue to push domestic nuclear power, in part to distract from their inaction on meaningful efforts to address climate change.”

.. and on that note …

Senator Matt Canavan: Keep Nuclear Energy On The Table

It’s probably been a disappointing week for pro-coal Senator Matt Canavan with the news Yallourn Power Station will retire in mid-2028 instead of 2032. But as well as a passion for coal, Senator Canavan is a nuclear power supporter.

In an interview with Sky News yesterday, Senator Canavan commented:

“If we’re going to shut coal-fired power stations, we need some power stations that at least can do the same job, can be on 24/7, don’t just turn up to work when they like – which is what unreliable renewables do.”

A year ago he referred to renewables as the “dole bludgers” of energy, using the same logic.

With regard to the Fukushima incident, he stated:

“The latest nuclear technology is much safer; more self-contained. Small modular reactors are effectively the size of shipping containers that are much more suited to our country and size and don’t have the same safety issues.”

He also managed to squeeze in a mention about instances of fatalities associated with installing solar panels on rooftops just for good measure.

But back to the small modular reactors (SMRs). Where are these SMRs he speaks of? The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2020 released in September last year states:

“.. in the case of SMRs, most designs are purely theoretical ones, and no real reactors have been constructed based on that design,” state the authors. “Going by current trends, they are unlikely to ever be constructed beyond a few prototypes.”

Small modular reactors operating as terrestrial power stations are vaporware. Even if they move beyond this stage¹, it’s going to be years before they can prove themselves in this role and then years again before the first one could be operating in Australia.

Among other issues, there’s the major hurdle of laws currently prohibiting the use of nuclear power for electricity generation in Australia. Nuclear energy can’t be an option “kept on the table” as it’s not even allowed to sit near it at this point.

What isn’t vaporware is wind and solar energy backed by storage and a smarter approach to energy transmission and distribution. It’s all doable right now and renewables can provide the cheapest new-build power in Australia; even with added storage and transmission costs factored in. There’s also the really nice bonus of not generating radioactive waste that will have to be carefully stored and monitored for a very long time – quite a legacy that would be left to future generations.

Far from being the dole bludgers of energy, renewables aren’t just a solution, they are *the* solution that will enable us to get to our zero-emissions energy destination quicker, cheaper and safer.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/canavan-nuclear-smr-mb1913/