this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024
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This is somewhat confusing. He's against nuclear power, a thing that would offset a considerable amount of carbon emissions... because building a plant is a lengthy process? It's not as if you can't also install solar panels in the mean time
If you install solar in the meantime you don't need the nuclear reactor anymore by the time it's finished. It's a financial sinkhole.
building nuclear power plants isn't just like putting a leg of lamb in the oven though.
it would take a gargantuan investment of money, skills, labour, et cetera. All of which ought to be directed to building out renewable facilities.
It's a long-term investment. Once it's built, nuclear outright breaks the pricing scheme on fossil fuel energy. Surely the prudent thing is to have both it and renewables? To have one to shore up the other?
I agree that nuclear is an option that ought to be considered as part of the mix.
I'm not convinced that it's right for Australia given our unique circumstances.
I disagree on cost. We've never built nuclear. We not only need a reactor, buy need to buy all the relevant skills and build all the supports to create an industry. I genuinely believe that the cost per kWh would be far greater than our other options.
The many hundreds of billions is better put to renewables, storage, and hydrogen cracking.
There are some next gen reactors being built in different places. Smaller output, less waste, salt cooled. We should let others bear the cost of development and see how it pans out.
Oh, that does change the calculation quite a bit. I wonder if this push has more to do with those submarines than any energy considerations.
excited to see how the thorium rock-salt reactors progress