Will Australia be the sucker that buys Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs)?

No Nuclear Power for Australia Despite Being ‘Future Reliable Energy’ International Business Times, By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | December 18, 2013  Despite being listed offhand as a ‘future reliable energy’ in an issues paper released no less than by the federal government, Australia will not consider using nuclear power. Not now nor even in the future…….

Australia’s Department of Industry, in an issue paper, said the government has started laying the groundwork for an Energy White Paper that will be delivered in 2014. The paper effectively sets out “an integrated and coherent Australian Government position on energy policy.”……

However, bells immediately rang out when the use of nuclear power was mentioned as most cost-efficient for Australia.

“A growing area of global interest is in the use of small modular reactors, which have the potential to reduce the cost uncertainties and construction timeframes associated with current generation reactor designs,” the paper said. “These reactors could be factory built, highly standardised and even used in locations without advanced infrastructure.”

The smaller size of the reactors may allow for more flexible deployment, making nuclear electricity available to isolated areas or countries with small or distributed electricity grid systems that cannot support conventional large-scale nuclear power.”

Dave Sweeney, nuclear free campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said he sees the Coalition’s mention of nuclear as “trying to keep the door open to the option… although it can see politically and economically it doesn’t add up.”……http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/530856/20131218/nuclear-australia-energy-uranium-japan-germany.htm#.UrMM69JDt9U

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