Nuclear Energy: Cheap, Clean & Recyclable
By Steven Tripp
“Cost of living doesn’t affect us – we only care about climate change.”
This is what a Teal volunteer told me during the Pittwater by-election in October.
It indicated the mentality of Teal supporters. After all, why would anyone care about cost-of-living when the Earth is gripped by ‘global boiling’?
Teal volunteers are disciplined in their approach, loaded with talking points to tackle their Liberal opponents.
Peter Dutton was public enemy number one, as the Teal declared that Dutton was “holding the Liberal Party back” by embracing nuclear energy.
He then asked if I had seen the recent ABC Four Corners report which argued against nuclear power. To him, it was proof that nuclear energy was a pipe dream.
He then proclaimed that nuclear energy would not work in Australia, citing the recent GenCost report by the CSIRO and AEMO.
However, when I asked why France sources most of its electricity from nuclear, the Teal admitted he had never heard that before and said he would ‘look into it’.
Two weeks later, I interviewed Charles-Henri Gallois, Chairman of French political party, ‘Reprenons le Controle’ (Let’s Take Back Control). I did not hesitate in asking him to confirm France’s reliance on nuclear.
“80% of electricity production is done by nuclear (in France),” he explained. “Actually, we could have 100%, but we have, let’s say, ‘renewables’ imposed by the EU.”
“I think nuclear energy has two main advantages,” he added. “It’s cheap…and then you don’t have emissions.”
Better yet, A French company, Orano, has been recycling nuclear materials for 60 years.
The Orano website states, “Following recycling operations, 96% of spent nuclear fuel (95% uranium + 1% plutonium) can be reused to manufacture new fuel, which will then supply more electricity in turn”.
Interestingly, Orano currently has recycling contracts with several countries, including Australia.
Yes, Australia already recycles its nuclear fuel.
Back in 2005, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke argued that Australia should accept the World’s nuclear ‘waste’ “as an act of economic sanity ... and environmental responsibility”.
“We’d get an enormous flow of stable income which would be to the befit of the world,” he added.
Not only could Australia take the World’s waste, but we could recycle it, potentially negating the need to dig another ounce of uranium out of the ground.
If France proves that nuclear is cheap, clean and recyclable, why are the Teals, and Australia, not on board?
By Steven Tripp