Aussie nuclear power? Yes please!

Timelapse of UAE Barakah Nuclear Power Plant Project

Should Australia choose to go down the nuclear power path, it will be considering designs of the future, not the past. Nuclear reactor designs have evolved since the days of Chernobyl and Fukushima. Today numerous companies such as GE Hitachi, Rolls-Royce, Terrapower, Terrestrial Energy, Thorcon and Nuscale, are working on smaller, safer, and more efficient designs often referred to as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Such reactors promise to overcome the financial burdens and safety concerns that have long plagued conventional reactors, particularly in the West. The ability of SMRs to be deployed as single or multiple modules provides wider flexibility in their applications, from supporting remote and regional communities to combining with other clean energy technologies to provide grid-scale generation. This makes them ideally suited to Australia's diverse range of energy needs.

An alternative energy future

The inclusion of nuclear power into Australia's future energy mix would provide an alternative energy narrative than what is currently on offer. It is a technology that could play a significant role in decarbonizing not only electricity but other energy-intensive sectors of the economy such as transportation, mining, and industry. Furthermore, the promise of nuclear power extends well-beyond electricity generation. Nuclear remains the only credible zero-carbon option for providing process heat for most industrial applications. It could play a major role in supporting desalination and water recycling, taking the pressure off Australia's river systems and water supplies. It could assist in reinvigorating Australian industry and manufacturing, supporting the old like steel manufacturing and fostering the new like synthetic fuel production. Nuclear power would also support the creation of high-paying STEM jobs. This is an exciting and positive energy narrative that needs to be at the very least on the table for Australians to consider. The current Federal, NSW and Victorian inquiries are an opportunity to take a step towards an alternative clean energy future that embraces science, innovation, and modernity. It is a future that this author hopes Australians will seriously consider.