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SILICON
CHIP
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Editor
Peter Smith
Technical Staff
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Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
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Publisher’s Letter
Nuclear power debate
should look at the
whole picture
Back in the January 2006 issue, we advocated
that Australia should build nuclear power stations and now surprise, surprise, Prime Minister
John Howard has launched a national debate
on the subject. Good. But already a number of
prominent people have started making hysterical
statements and you wonder whether the ensuing debate is likely to be logical and carefully
considered.
It is not enough to consider nuclear power in isolation. We should also be
reviewing all existing methods of power generation: coal, gas-fired, bargasse,
wind, hydro, solar and so on. For example, if we want more wind power,
the existing base load power stations must be able to cope with the vagaries of this form of generation. In addition, coal-fired stations and carbon
dioxide sequestration should be considered. The cost and complexity of
this system, if it even works, must be carefully considered in making future
power decisions.
As well, Australia’s needs for desalination and water resources in general
should also be part of the picture. Australians are woefully ignorant of how
much energy is required to bring water to them and then to take it away in
the form of sewage. The New South Wales government’s recent decision to
cancel the Kurnell desalination plant and to concentrate in future on water
recycling just shows the extent of the problem; water recycling for sewage is
almost as energy intensive as desalination! In fact, some years ago we editorialised that when Australians drink water, they are effectively eating coal!
Another prime example of general ignorance about water and electricity
resources was the decision by the States and Federal government to sell the
Snowy Hydro scheme, now fortunately cancelled. I would not have minded
so much if the Snowy had been sold, if the price had not been so incredibly
cheap, compared with its cost of replacement!
We need to consider the total costs of every form of power generation,
from the initial method of extraction and transport (for coal, gas, uranium
or whatever), the cost of power generation itself and the eventual cost of
plant decommissioning, restoration of open-cut mines, carbon trading and
so on. Ultimately, the decision should come down to cold hard economics.
In the final result, I suspect that the best and cheapest course will be for
Australia to use its vast natural gas resources for all future base load power
stations. Gas is clean burning, does not spew radioactive particles into the
atmosphere as happens with burning coal and is potentially more efficient
than coal-fired stations. It also costs less to transport and there is no gaping
open-cut mine to restore at the end of it all. Rather than exporting all our
natural gas overseas, we should be using some of it here to meet our energy
needs, for both electricity and transport.
Leo Simpson
ISSN 1030-2662
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