A former chief scientist thinks the ban on nuclear power should be scrapped so it can be factored into the nation's energy transition.
South Australia's former top scientist Leanna Read admits the potential role of nuclear energy is "still highly contentious” but says the issue has been too politicised.
Ms Read told a federal nuclear power generation inquiry she has no vested interest in the controversial energy source, but wants an informed debate.
While nuclear power was not an option for the next 10 years, she said it was far more important to get it right for the long term.
“Australia does need nuclear in that mix as a consideration ... no other country, to my knowledge, relies entirely on solar and wind,” she told the inquiry, which was sitting in Adelaide on Thursday.
“There are clearly issues that need to be addressed: Legislative bans, social acceptance, regulatory framework, long lead times, higher up-front costs, but they've been addressed elsewhere, and I think we can, too."
Ms Read wants the legislative ban on nuclear power removed as soon as possible "so we can actually start putting this in the mix of possibilities, and also initiate a very robust public awareness campaign”.
Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman Karina Lester told the committee hearing the inquiry that Aboriginal people did not want a nuclear power station at Port Augusta, as proposed by the Coalition, and she wanted their reassurance that “our voices as Aboriginal people will be heard in this process”.
“We have suffered many traumas since the first detonation (of the British nuclear testing program) in October 1953,” she said.
“We’ve always said 'no', whether it’s waste dumps or mining. We are very concerned about safety issues, and the costly impacts on the community.”
Global Power Energy chief executive Greg Elkins, who has wide expertise in the energy transition, said major changes in demand need to be considered.
He noted the huge impact that air conditioning growth had on power demand and warned that artificial intelligence could have a similar impact.
“None of this was forecast only a couple of years ago,” he said.
Prudent planning meant considering all options for the energy transition and relying on solar and wind had inherent risks, he warned.
"We have no capacity to control or predict intermittent generation and as a result we don’t have a controllable energy source to dispatch as required ... we risk large industries leaving Australia."
