Gold Coast based ship design group Seatransport and a Brisbane based technology company are developing nuclear solutions for the propulsion of strategic and disaster response vessels in remote areas. The technology company has not been named, preferring to remain in stealth mode, however they are collaborating to utilise Using Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) technology of…
In this, the third part of a series about Coalition plans for nuclear power in Australia, Peter Farley asks the question – How would we establish a nuclear power industry? It is often claimed that many countries are going nuclear and if Australia wants to be a ‘Developed Country’ we should have nuclear power. If…
In this, the second in an occasional series about Peter Dutton’s Coalition plans for nuclear power in Australia, Peter Farley finds the earliest conventional nuclear power could be on online in Australia would be 2048-49. Read the first article on reliability here. It has been said that we could have nuclear power plants running in…
The private sector owner of the Mt Piper coal fired power station in NSW, EnergyAustralia has confirmed it is pursuing construction of a big battery and pumped hydro power plant at the site. Earmarked by the Coalition as the site for nuclear power stations, Mt Piper’s coal boilers are not planned for retirement until 2040,…
The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen has wasted little time in visiting one of the key sites proposed for a nuclear power station by the Coalition – Port Augusta in South Australia. But Bowen was not there to spruik nuclear power, but to highlight the green cement and green concrete plant being…
In this, the first in an occasional series about nuclear power in Australia, Peter Farley says the claim of nuclear reliability is vastly overstated. “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong,” – Albert Einstein. As a student in the late 60’s I watched a training film…
An independent report by consulting and engineering firm Egis and commissioned by the Clean Energy Council has confirmed that nuclear is the most expensive form of new energy in Australia. The review analysed the CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)’s GenCost report against the Lazard Review and the Mineral Council of Australia (MCA)’s research…
By Ian Lowe, Griffith University For decades, Australia has exported uranium – but not used it, other than in the Lucas Heights research reactor. But change is coming. We now face a rapidly deepening commitment to the nuclear industry, through nuclear submarines (bipartisan support) or nuclear reactors (Coalition support). The Albanese government was quick to accept…
Sydney based Silex Systems is to compete in the United States to produce High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) – a higher grade of nuclear fuel that will be required to fuel next generation advanced reactors, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The company announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) had released the Request…
The federal government has moved to ensure Australian-made steel will be used in the construction of Australia’s conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines when they are built at Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, subject to a qualification process. The Australian Submarine Agency has entered into a contract with Australian steel manufacturer, Bisalloy Steels, for the qualification of Australian…
