Australia "stands alone" among the world's top 25 economies in not considering nuclear power as part of its long-term energy and climate change strategy, according to Ziggy Switkowski, chairman of Australia's nuclear science and technology organisation (ANSTO).
None of the 14 economies of Australia's size or larger is without nuclear power, with the exception of Italy which purchases it from France, he said.
Switkowski said recent developments meant his 2006 review findings – raising the prospect of 25 reactors by 2050 – were too conservative, and the nation "could and should" aim to have a large-scale nuclear power plant by 2020 and 50 by 2050.
He described nuclear power as a "well-established" technology that unlike some others was not dependent on "heroic assumptions" about likely future cost or technology breakthroughs.
On a whole-of-life basis (mining through to waste disposal and storage) nuclear power's greenhouse gas emissions are "roughly equal" to those from solar and wind and at a relatively modest carbon price – A$15 to A$40 – nuclear generation costs are comparable to coal- and gas-fired electricity, he said.
'Fragile assumptions'
Switkowski said measures such as energy conservation, accelerated deployment of renewables, increased use of gas and carbon capture and storage were meritorious, but he questioned the wisdom of basing the nation's energy strategy on " fragile assumptions" about what these could achieve.
Decision-makers were at risk of shaping an energy policy "disproportionately dependent" on technologies that might compromise the reliability and low cost of the nation's energy supply, he said.
While "novel, niche, alternative energies" are interesting, they are inefficient and nuclear offers an "industrial-grade" solution, he said.
Australia "could and should" plan to have its first reactor in place by 2020, 10 gigawatt-scale reactors by 2030 (meeting a quarter of power needs) and 50 75GW plants operating by 2050 (meeting 90% of power needs).
In conjunction with a moderate contribution from hydro, other renewables and residual coal and gas plants, this would provide baseload power "reliably, safely, cleanly and cost-effectively" and "solves our greenhouse gas challenge in the electricity sector completely", he said.
As well, gas-cooled modular units of 25MW to 200MW – likely to be available around 2015 – could potentially meet the needs of towns, the burgeoning number of desalination plants and major mines and smelters.
Switkowski said the task of finding suitable sites in a nation the size of Australia would be "simple", despite the social challenges, adding that nearly all Australia's land mass had suitable geological characteristics for waste storage.
He called for bipartisan agreement on the legitimacy of nuclear power, an update of his 2006 review "perhaps by the Productivity Commission", the establishment of suitable regulatory bodies and the development of training courses.
Other nations 'reactivating' nuclear programs
Switkowski said there had been a "revival interest of nuclear power globally", including in nations most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The UK, a "beacon of climate change leadership", was also committed to accelerating its nuclear program, replacing its current fleet of nuclear power plants, he said.
(ANSTO's submission to the Rudd Government's energy white paper process is available here)
