FRANCES URGES AUSTRALIA TO GO NUCLEAR

FRANCE URGES US TO GO NUCLEAR

Australia should lift its ban on nuclear energy, says French President Emmanuel Macron, as dozens of countries sign up to triple their production of the carbon-neutral power source by 2050.The Coalition has accused Labor of letting Australia fall behind the rest of the world and seized on Mr Macron’s informal remarks in favour of an end to the nuclear moratorium, captured in a video on sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai on the weekend.
“I hope that you (Australia) will manage to lift the ban,” Mr Macron told Nuclear for Australia founder Will Shackel when he asked about the role of nuclear power in carbon neutrality. In the video, Mr Macron said with the best regulation he believed it was a “good decision” to pursue nuclear as part of a carbon-neutral energy mix .
Earlier at the summit, Mr Macron said France was planning to relaunch the construction of nuclear reactors for the first time in decades, while continuing to develop renewable energies. France, the UK and US were among 22 nations at the summit who joined a “net-zero nuclear initiative” committing to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050.Coalition climate change and energy spokesman Ted O’Brien said due to energy forming such a large part of France’s energy mix, the nation had a “clean grid” and among the cheapest power in Western Europe.“No wonder the likes of President Macron is urging Australia to lift its moratorium,” he said. Mr O’Brien said Australia had “foolishly isolated itself” by refusing to back the international pledge.
“Getting to net zero requires all technologies to be on the table and that includes zero emissions nuclear energy,” he said. Mr O’Brien said Labor should “learn from other nations”.