Jul 13 2006
Don Burke, Chair of the Australian Environment Foundation, has called for a significant expansion of the federal government’s inquiry into nuclear energy, as the current review will not produce a sufficiently accurate or useful comparison between the various energy generating options.
“My members are telling me that while nuclear energy might be a solution to Australia’s sustainable energy problems we’ll never know unless all solutions are studied and compared to each other in a meaningful way.
Mr Burke said that the inquiry was also only comparing nuclear power generation to ‘existing electricity generation technologies’.
“This might seem fair enough, except that the committee intends to deal with the ‘projected’, not present, costs of nuclear power generation, and will also consider use of future technologies, such as nuclear power generation from thorium.
“In making decisions for power generation in 10 to 20 years time it is not a valid approach to take no account of the likely future costs and benefits of all competing technologies.”
Mr Burke said that the government should either expand the terms of reference of the existing inquiry, or set up a number of additional expert inquiries into alternative electricity sources and co-ordinate them through a central standing committee.
“In 2004 oil was trading at just over $20 US a barrel, now it is over $70. A standing committee is needed because the future will be volatile and unpredictable.”
“The issues paper released by the inquiry last week lists over 100 points, but only two of these deal with non-nuclear energy generation.
“This represents 2 percent of the committee’s considerations, well out of proportion to most likely scenarios where coal and gas will continue to provide the bulk of more than 50 percent our electricity.”
Mr Burke said that the questions his members would like answered are:
- What is the ‘full cycle’ likely cost of all current forms of electricity generation?
- What is the ‘full cycle’ likely cost of emerging electricity generation technologies, including alternative forms of nuclear power generation, as well as coal, gas, hydro, solar, tidal, wind, and biomass?
- What is the ‘full cycle’ likely carbon balance from each of the current and emerging viable electricity generation technologies?
“Australia has the opportunity to lead the world in producing a comprehensive comparative study, and as a leading energy producer, a duty to do so.
“It’s what my members want, and I’m sure it’s what most Australians want.”