If a future Coalition government were to bring nuclear into the mix, energy costs for residential and especially industrial customers would likely increase.
The Coalition’s nuclear plan is an unwelcome proposal which will slow the energy transition and increase our dependence on gas – a surefire way to drive up energy bills.
Insisting nuclear power is the only way for Australia to achieve net zero by 2050 is a classic move from the playbook of those who oppose urgent action on climate change.
A view of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant on the Dnipro River near Nikopol, Ukraine.
(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has placed Ukraine’s nuclear sites under considerable threat with a growing risk that further conflict may lead to radioactive contamination.
When Australia’s government and opposition argue over how to get to net zero emissions, nuclear power is the flashpoint. The argument against nuclear is stronger, but not for the obvious reason.
The costing, put out by the Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, is a pre-emptive strike against the opposition, which is moving to include nuclear power in the energy policy it takes to the next election
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant seen across the Dnieper River, which was receding after a downstream dam was destroyed.
Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images
The International Atomic Energy Agency says the plant has enough water to last for several months. What happens afterward or if the remaining water is lost to the war could lead to a disaster.
A new process to quickly remove radioactive chemicals from water and other liquids and trap them in a clay-like substance could make nuclear waste management much easier.
An undersea tunnel is under construction to release wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Kimimasa Mayama
The power plant’s sixth reactor has been shut down, all but eliminating the risk of a nuclear meltdown. But fighting at the site could still release radioactive material.
Damage at the Zaporizhzhya facility.
International Atomic Energy Agency
Artillery shelling, stressed-out technicians and power supply disruptions increase the chances of catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
Russia isn’t a major producer of uranium, but it handles a large share of the steps that turn it into nuclear fuel. That makes it a major player in this globalized industry.
New Safe Confinement structure at Chernobyl.
OLEG PETRASYUK/EPA-EFE
The level of danger posed by the Chernobyl power cut depends on how long it lasts.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, points to the training facility hit by Russian artillery at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
AP Photo/Lisa Leutner
The world held its collective breath as Russian troops battled Ukrainian forces at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The battle is over and no radiation escaped, but the danger is far from over.
Nuclear fusion is what generates the energy of the sun: scientists are getting closer to controlling a sustained fusion reaction on Earth.
Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock
The submarine announcement is sure to trigger a new round of debate on whether nuclear energy is right for Australia. But let’s be clear: the technology makes no sense for Australia.
The world’s nuclear power plants are on the frontline of climate change – and not in a good way.
Fire a set of high-power lasers at a tiny speck of hydrogen isotopes and you can initiate nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun.
National Ignition Facility
Scientists are working on ways to make lots of energy by converting matter into energy. The trick is keeping the process under control. One possibility is nuclear fusion – the Sun’s power source.