From the Daily Telegraph. Letters from the EditorThe history of...

From the Daily Telegraph. Letters from the Editor

The history of opposition to nuclear power in Australia is fascinating – and deeply damning of many involved.Back in the early days of an emerging global nuclear power industry, influential activists raged against adopting similar strategies in Australia.Too dangerous, they said. And they may have had a point – if every nuclear reactor on Earth was as poorly built and maintained as those at Chernobyl.But decades of successful and safe power delivery show overwhelmingly that nuclear is not a terror. In fact, it’s an absolute zero-emissions boon in the fight against climate change.So local anti-nuclear forces changed tactics.Unable to argue with any honesty about nuclear dangers, they’ve swapped strategies. Now they say that nuclear facilities will take too long to build and in any case will be too expensive.We pause here to celebrate a rare moment when the left side of politics worries about the expense of a government program.The “too long to build” claim is not about nuclear energy. It’s about bureaucratic delays that push back everything from your veranda extension to a very fast train. So put that aside.And now we have the first detailed costing of Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s plan to add nuclear energy to the power grid.Surprise, surprise, that Frontier Economics analysis, unveiled today forecasts a quarter of a trillion dollar advantage for nuclear over Labor’s preferred renewables.This will not come as a shock to anyone who has been watching the startling rise in electricity costs as renewable energy sources have entered the grid.We all know that Energy and Climate Minister Chris Bowen’s claim that renewables are the cheapest form or energy are worth even less than Labor’s promised $275 power bill reductions.Many readers have already conducted research into nuclear power, often by visiting the many nations where nuclear reliably and inexpensively keeps the lights on and the factories humming.We know it works. Let’s use it.

Ben English Editor, The Daily Telegraph