Australian Uranium Association calls for nuclear reactor by 2022

The Australian Uranium Association (AUA) on Wednesday called on the federal government to set up the nation's first electricity generating nuclear reactor up by 2022, despite the Fukushima nuclear plant accident in Japan.

Michael Angwin, CEO of the AUA said although the meltdown of reactor cores at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in March caused nuclear energy to fall out of favor, the various international examinations would address many safety issues and give the community greater assurances over the power source.

The Australian federal government plans to finalize details of its carbon pricing scheme in early July, ahead of legislation being introduced to the Parliament by September and a fixed carbon price starting on July 1, 2012.

While there have been wide-spread concerns that the carbon tax will affect Australian household's energy price, Angwin said he was puzzled why the country was debating a carbon price without talking about energy choices, and he called on the government to encourage nuclear business proposals from industry.

"Now is not the time for policy makers to go any softer on nuclear power," Angwin told an International Uranium Conference in Perth, quoted by the Australia Associated Press on Wednesday.

"Now is exactly the right time for policy makers to give nuclear power a dispassionate, economic, technological, social and political examination."

He noted that demand for electricity in Australia is expected to increase 35 percent by 2030, which will require high capital investment and be managed with the government's 20 percent renewable energy target.

Angwin said a nuclear energy commission should be established to provide the regulatory framework and identify possible reactor sites, and if that path was followed, Australia could have its first power-generating nuclear reactor by 2022.

Source: Xinhua

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