CSIRO was Wrong, page-74

lt seems you are completely missing the point .

lt has nothing to do with the fuel cost . A coal fired power station produces electricity cheaper than nuclear because it is cheaper to build and operate over its life.

LCOE.

lt doesn't matter about the efficiency of coal or nuclear .

They can't run at their theoretical efficiency rates because if they did they would be losing money half the time.

Prior to renewables entering the market, baseload coal ran 90% of the time. Thus being able to sell enough electricity to cover their capex and opex.

Now with competition from renewables, they are only producing electricity around 60% of the time in Australia. A number that is falling each year .

That's why the CSlRO used the 59% to 90% range for the nuclear costs . Based on the Australian electricity market data .

Renewables can sell electricity cheaper than baseload coal. lf baseload coal wanted to sell electricity into the market at the same time as renewables, it would have to sell it below the cost of production .

So they don't do that . lt is financially better for them to not generate and not sell at a loss when renewables are competing . They just wait till there are no renewables operating and they sell their electricity at a higher rate where they make money .

Trouble is, that opportunity to make money is shrinking because of the increase in renewable output and because of storage entering the market .

That's why baseload nuclear won't work in Australia. lt can't run enough to justify the cost .

The Dud's nuclear brain wave is actually only for a small amount of generation . lt is estimated only to be about 5-10% of overall demand . That means that we would still require large amounts of renewables and energy storage . That also means that because we would have large amounts of renewables and storage , much more than today , the nuclear plants would almost never run .


Making them very expensive white elephants .