What Thinking Australians Are Thinking (Part 2)
I write to thank Adam Creighton for turning on a South Australian light to illuminate the power elephant in the room — nuclear fission. In the future mix of baseload and renewable electric power, an obvious source of baseload power — as chosen by France, Russia, the US and Japan — is nuclear fission.
Coal, gas, oil, geothermal and batteries have their pros and cons, as do renewable solar, wind and hydro sources. South Australia, a state short of reliable baseload power, has large uranium deposits, a recent royal commission review and a prime opportunity to solve its long-term baseload power problem and develop new industries associated with nuclear power. The short-term cost is expensive but the long-term benefit of stable power prices and supply may well also retain South Australian industries, help them grow and perhaps permit export of power to eastern states.
As a doctor with a lifetime of involvement in radiation management and safety, I am led to understand that the radiation risks of modern nuclear reactors are far less than before, and that the stable geological environment of South Australia further reduces long-term risks.
In short, stable baseload power generation is not just coal, gas or oil supplemented by renewables. Uranium and nuclear power are a natural fit in Australia, especially in South Australia.
Peter Duffy, Mosman, NSW
I would like to offer my gratitude to Jay Weatherill. Without regard to his political future and at great expense to the citizens of South Australia, he has shown the developed world what a calamity renewable energy is. If you want blackouts, unemployment and companies told to bring their own electricity, South Australia will show you how. Now, thanks to the Weatherill manual on climate change, other countries know exactly what not to do. Surely recognition of this sacrifice should be acknowledged and his elevation to some nondescript UN body should be considered.
Rob Hurdwell, Sunshine Coast, Qld
Adam Creighton’s article (“Why are we cold on the idea of nuclear fission?”, 20/3) should be on every MP’s desk, especially the PM’s and Josh Frydenberg’s.
Brian Doherty, Beenleigh, Qld