Could nuclear power be part of Australia’s net-zero goals? Two key figures have two very different opinions on the matter ☢️ Earlier this month, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton made the call for nuclear plants to be built over decomissioned coal-fired power stations. He argued that it was the “only feasible and proven technology” when replacing coal, because it could plug straight into the existing grid. He also stated that it would be used in conjunction with renewables, and not instead of ‍ However, Net Zero Australia, a joint program between management consultancy Nous Group and some of Australia’s top universities, thinks otherwise. For 2 years, they’ve been collecting data on how best to make net-zero happen in Australia. Part of this included weighing up the usefulness and feasability of nuclear energy ‍ After crunching the numbers, they’ve concluded that any large-scale nuclear power projects would be too expensive and take far too long to develop if we are to meet our emissions target goals. This is partly due to Australia having existing infrastructure within the renewable space, as these project are already underway, but also due to Australia’s total lack of experience with nuclear energy, as it has been banned since the late 1990s ☀️ We highly recommend giving Net Zero Australia’s report a read, as they cover other things like the ways to mitigate the impact of decarbonisation, how to phase out fossil fuel exports without damaging the economy, and new technologies like carbon capture and offshore wind ⚡️