Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear free campaigner Dave Sweeney said talk of nuclear power was"a dangerous distraction"from the steps that needed to address the energy and climate challenges facing Australia.
Nuclear energy has been officially banned in Australia since 1998,with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s OPAL reactor at Lucas Heights,NSW,the only nuclear reactor in the country.
Lucas Heights holds the only operating nuclear reactor in the entire country.Credit:Sahlan Hayes
But the Minerals Council's executive director for uranium,Daniel Zavattiero,said the nation had excluded a low-emissions energy source of which Australia has an abundant supply from the current debate.
“Maybe nuclear power might be something that is not needed,but an outright prohibition on it is not needed,” he said.
Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg supported the Mineral Council’s stance.
“There needs to be bipartisan support for nuclear power and that does not exist right now,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“You would also need state-based support and that is not clear at this stage either.”
In a pre-budget submission,the Minerals Council said nuclear energy needed to be “allowed to compete with other low-emissions sources of electricity – and on equal terms”.
“The ban on nuclear power in Australia is hampering an open debate about future energy and climate change management.”
Mr Zavattiero’s position has been supported by the South Australia Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission,which recommended the lifting of the federal prohibition on a nuclear industry.
Mr Switkowski said smaller,modular nuclear reactors could play a part in the future energy mix,and could support regional centres.
An ANSTO spokesman told Fairfax Media these smaller plants could technically work in Australia.
“If Australia did want to expand into nuclear energy technologies,there would be a number of options to consider in the future,including small modular reactors and Generation IV reactors,which could be feasible if the policy,economic settings and technology were right and public support was in place,” he said.
However,the country currently did not have enough skilled personnel to safely operate a nuclear energy industry,he said.
“The question of whether nuclear energy is technically or economically feasible is a different question to whether Australia should or should not have a nuclear energy program,the latter of which is a matter for policy makers and the people of Australia,” the spokesman said.
Countries such as France have embraced nuclear energy,and nuclear power accounts for nearly 75 per cent of all energy generation.
This reliance on nuclear energy has played a role in helping the nation slash its CO2 emissions,with OECD data outlining France averaging 4.32 tonnes per capita compared to Australia's average of 15.8 tonnes per capita.
While France had set a timeline to reduce its proportion of nuclear energy generation to half of all generation by 2025,French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot said it would be difficult to keep to its timeline without reintroducing fossil fuel generation.