Article in The AustralianAnthony Albanese warned by US that...

Article in The Australian

Anthony Albanese warned by US that Australia will be left behind on nuclear microreactors

Miners, security experts and aUS electrics giant warn Australia risks being left behind in a strategic pushto secure new nuclear microreactors capable of powering small communities, as the Biden administration moves to stop Russia and China from dominating the emissions-free market.

The US has launched a push inthe new year to get its allies to embrace small and micro nuclear reactors as part of its effort to triple global nuclear energy output and challenge the control China and Russia have developed over the world’s energy supply.

In Australia, the peak mining body has called for the ban on nuclear energy to be lifted as it explores the possibility of the microreactors being able to provide emissions-free power tothe operations of its members.

But Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen have been adamant they will never lift the nation’s decades-long nuclear ban despite moves from the US and other allies to embrace small modular reactors and microreactors, as Peter Dutton considers taking a policy of removingrestrictions on nuclear power to the next election.

If the Coalition were to win the election and Australia ever rescinded its ban on nuclear power, the government could struggle to order any kind of nuclear reactor from foreign suppliers.

US electrics giant Westinghouse is developing the first wave of nuclear microreactors slated for commercial rollout in 2029, and says nations as diverse as Canada and the United ArabEmirates have already moved to put in early orders |

The chief executive of itsnuclear technology division, eVinci Technologies, John Ball, told TheAustralian mining companies in Australia were already showing interest in usingthe reactors to power their operations, but warned “late movers” could lose outon buying microreactors.

“I think long term it’s going tobe more challenging based on the demand and limited supply of resources forthose that are the later movers,” he said.

“I think there’s a great benefit in being a being an early mover.”

Mr Ball said his company had been in conversations with “a number of major mining companies that operate in Australia”.

“So whether it be a remote community, perhaps mining operations, industrial processes that need dedicate dpower and heat or critical infrastructure, like data centres, hospitals, you know, these are all really ideal applications for microreactors,” he said.

“We have been in conversations with a number of major mining companies.

“And yes, this is ideally suited for that, for that application … We have conversations with companies tha toperate mines in Australia as well. We’ve been in conversations with industrial companies that need very reliable heat and power.”

Westinghouse likens its eVincimicroreactor to a “nuclear battery”, having few moving parts and providingpower ranging from several kilowatts to 5 megawatts of electricitynon-stop for at least eight years without refuelling.

While Westinghouse would notreveal what mining companies in Australia it was talking to, Resources Councilchief executive Tania Constable also warned the nation risked being left behindin a Western shift to smaller nuclear reactors.

“To view the task ofdecarbonisation through the narrow lens of electricity generation fails tocomprehend the broad challenge to reduce emissions in Australia’s industrialbase,” she said.

“Nuclear energy could play avital role in decarbonising the heat that powers our industrial base, givingour industrial companies, miners and refiners, and manufacturers a credibleenergy source to replace traditional fossil fuels in the heating process.

“Dismissing this opportunity onthe misinformed belief that nuclear energy is too expensive or too slow sits atcomplete odds with the rapid, renewed investment in nuclear energy takingplace in nations such as France, Canada, Germany, the US, South Korea, Swedenand Japan.”

The Wall Street Journal reportedthis week that US officials believe America can compete in the nuclear energymarket as it develops new reactors and atomic fuels. The US is reportedlyaiming to sign agreements for partnerships lasting 50 years or longer toprovide US nuclear technology to Moscow’s former energy partners and tofast-growing countries in Southeast Asia worried about their over-reliance onChinese and Russian energy.

With Beijing dominating the windand solar technology market globally, Strategic Analysis Australia directorPeter Jennings said Australia must take nuclear options seriously.

		to stop ‘ignoring the science’ on nuclear energy

TheAustralian government is “ignoring the science” and the “global evidence” fornuclear being an effective… pathway to net-zero, Nuclear for Australia FounderWill Shackel says. “At the moment unfortunately, our politicians are ignoringthe will of the people,” Mr Shackel told Sky News host James Macpherson.

“I think the big challenge withthe government’s energy strategy, such as it is, (is that) there risks buildingan unacceptable level of dependence on Chinese solar and wind technology. Sohaving gone through the process of excluding China from 5G we are quiteblithely accepting they will become the dominant provider of solar and wind,”he said.

“What I’m appealing for is togive ourselves a pathway to a Plan B, even if the government doesn’t want to doit at this stage.

“In many ways, SMRs (smallmodular reactors) and microreactors would be ideal for Australia. We have manyareas of the country with their own infrastructure problems. You could see thistechnology being used in the Northern Territory, in a whole bunch of placesthat will never be able to get a national electricity grid constructed becauseof the distances involved. They could be the answer to precisely that problem.”

Saskatchewan in Canada put inthe first global order for the new technology in November, with an $80minvestment from the provincial government.

As the biggest uranium producerin Canada, the province is dotted with remote indigenous communities and miningsites that are well suited to microreactors as CO2-emitting diesel powerbecomes uneconomical.

Mike Crabtree, the chiefexecutive of the state’s Saskatchewan Research Council, said the intention was“to bring basically a world first of a kind of micro reactor into the province”by 2029. “Is it competitive with diesel? Oh, my goodness,” he told TheAustralian. Mr Crabtree said the price per kilowatt hour would be C24-C28c,cheaper than C70c for diesel.