Victoria rejects nuclear power push - National - theage.com.au


JOHN Howard's push for a nuclear energy debate is set to hit a political brick wall in Victoria, with the State Government and the Opposition signalling they would reject any move to build a nuclear power plant in the state.
As the federal cabinet meets today to sign off on an inquiry into nuclear power in Australia, the Bracks Government has sought an assurance from Canberra that it will not try to impose nuclear power stations on Victoria.
State Energy Minister Theo Theophanous said yesterday nuclear energy did not make economic sense for Australia when the cost and problems of waste disposal were considered.
State Opposition energy spokesman Philip Davis joined him in declaring opposition to nuclear power, saying there was no evidence that it would be more cost-efficient than coal.
"We welcome a debate on the merits of nuclear power, but we do not see, at this stage, that Victoria will be in any way advantaged by adopting it," he said.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and NSW Premier Morris Iemma also moved to head off the debate, signalling they would not allow nuclear power stations inside their borders.
The states acted after the release of a report commissioned by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, saying nuclear power could compete against coal or gas-fired electricity in Australia if it were subsidised by tax- payers.
The chief executive of the organisation, Ian Smith, said Australia would need four or five nuclear power plants, and they should be near big population centres in the eastern states.
The report's author, British scientist John Gittus, said Australia's uranium reserves gave it a "marvellous" opportunity to build a competitive energy industry around nuclear power.
He said Australia should get the benefit of its uranium "rather than just giving that benefit to overseas countries by selling uranium to them".
Professor Gittus' report argues that an Australian nuclear industry could supply electricity at prices competitive with electricity supplied by oil and gas. As the prices of oil and gas rose, and with rising concern about global warming, now was the time to go nuclear, he said.
But Mr Theophanous said an inquiry by his department a year ago found nuclear energy would be unviable. "The problem is a commercial one as much as anything else, it costs roughly double the price to produce power out of nuclear energy," he said.
"If you're going to pay double the price, why not put in wind farms? Why not use renewable energy, which is even cheaper than nuclear energy?"

Mr Theophanous said the subsidies needed to make a nuclear industry competitive could be better used to make the coal-fired power industry more environmentally friendly.
His comments came after state Environment Minister John Thwaites wrote to his federal counterpart, Ian Campbell, asking that Victoria's legal ban on nuclear activities be respected.
The letter, seen by The Age, seeks an "assurance that the Commonwealth would not attempt to utilise its powers under the constitution to facilitate the building of a nuclear power plant or any other nuclear facility in Victoria".
The move to pressure Canberra over the location of any nuclear power plants came as the Prime Minister yesterday rejected what he branded a "fear campaign" from opponents of nuclear energy.
Mr Howard also said it was "premature" to be talking about where future nuclear power plants could be built.
"Let's have the inquiry first and determine what the facts are and then if there's sufficient economic momentum for the construction of any sites that will be the time to talk about it."
But senior cabinet minister Tony Abbott said he would "not have any particular problem" with a nuclear reactor being built in his Sydney electorate, provided there was enough space.
Mr Howard confirmed that Australia's chief scientist, Jim Peacock, would be asked to review and co-ordinate the public inquiry.
Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane hit back at the Victorian Government's stand. "You can generally rely on Labor politicians … to do what's in their short-term political interest rather than take the responsible action in the interests of the broader population," he said.
Federal Government backbenchers welcomed the debate, but three MPs told The Age they were against nuclear power plants in their electorates.
Queensland Liberal Peter Lindsay, Tasmanian Mark Baker and NSW MP Joanna Gash said their electorates were either unsuitable, or the question was premature.
Ms Gash said she would resign if a nuclear reactor was constructed at Jervis Bay in NSW, while Mr Baker said: "I can't see the need for a nuclear power plant in Tasmania in my lifetime."
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who has backed a nuclear-powered desalination plant in his home state of South Australia, said it was too early to discuss sites. "What's the point of having a debate about a site if in the end … they turn out not to be economically viable?" he told ABC radio.
But in the north Queensland city of Mount Isa, Mayor Ron McCullough said he would be happy to investigate putting a reactor in the area.
"To be honest, this country's very stable up here and if there was going to be a site for it, well, this would be as good as any," he said.