{"id":53515,"date":"2015-02-09T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=53515"},"modified":"2015-05-05T21:26:08","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T20:26:08","slug":"the-debate-around-nuclear-energy-in-australia-just-got-a-whole-lot-more-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2015\/02\/the-debate-around-nuclear-energy-in-australia-just-got-a-whole-lot-more-serious\/","title":{"rendered":"The Debate around Nuclear Energy in Australia Just Got a Whole Lot More Serious"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nuclear-Energy-1S\"<\/a>South Australia will hold a Royal Commission into the possible expansion of the state\u2019s uranium mining industry to include nuclear enrichment, storage, and energy, Premier Jay Weatherill has announced.<\/p>\n

At a press conference earlier today Weatherill, who has previously been a staunch opponent of the nuclear industry, said it was time to have a \u201cmature and robust conversation about South Australia\u2019s future role in the nuclear industry\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis royal commission will also look at the opportunities and risks associated with this sector,\u201d Weatherill told media.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people describe the potential economic benefits as enormous while others describe the risks as unacceptable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Consultation on the commission\u2019s terms of reference will begin on Monday, and the Premier has indicated economic, environmental and ethical considerations will be canvassed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a clearer understanding about the nature of energy demands around the world and indeed in this country,\u201d Weatherill said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also need a deeper understanding of our state\u2019s and the nation\u2019s energy needs and how they are likely to develop in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

South Australia is already the nation\u2019s nuclear hub, hosting four of Australia\u2019s five uranium mines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are home to one of the largest uranium deposits in the world and after more than 25 years of uranium production, it is now time to engage in a mature and robust conversation about South Australia\u2019s future role in the nuclear industry,\u201d media quoted Weatherill as saying.<\/p>\n

The South Australian Premier\u2019s announcement follows a nation-wide move toward the expansion of uranium mining, with Western Australia, Queensland, and NSW moving to lift bans on uranium mining over recent years.<\/p>\n

In 2008 Western Australia lifted its ban, Queensland followed suit in 2012, and both states are currently considering applications for new uranium mines.<\/p>\n

NSW has not yet lifted its ban, but in 2012 the O\u2019Farrell government changed its policy to allow for exploration – a move heralded by then mining minister Chris Hartcher as the dawn of a \u201cnew era\u201d which would \u201ccreate an industry\u201d.<\/p>\n

An application to expand Ranger Uranium Mine, the nation\u2019s largest, is also being considered.<\/p>\n

The federal government has also signalled a willingness to embrace nuclear energy, with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop calling for a \u201csensible debate\u201d on the topic late last year, and revisiting the issue this year.<\/p>\n

Bishop\u2019s announcement followed deals which will see Australia export uranium to India and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Both agreements have been criticised; advocates slammed the government\u2019s deal with India, because it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and questioned the logic<\/a> of selling uranium to a Middle Eastern country (the UAE).<\/p>\n

The federal government\u2019s ostensible desire to increase the nation\u2019s already considerable uranium exports, though, has been slowed by the radioactive metal\u2019s market value, which tanked in the wake of Japan\u2019s Fukushima disaster in March 2011.<\/p>\n

However demand for uranium is forecast to increase dramatically in coming years, and prices are likely to recover.<\/p>\n

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency have predicted that by 2035 world nuclear capacity will grow between 44 and 99 per cent.<\/p>\n

Australia boasts around 35 per cent of the world\u2019s uranium resources, and recent moves across the nation to expand the uranium mining industry suggest that Australia will continue to fuel the world\u2019s nuclear sector.<\/p>\n

In this context, the South Australian Royal Commission into possible nuclear enrichment, storage, and energy, is likely to be influential in determining how far down the nuclear path the nation as a whole is willing to tread.<\/p>\n

__________________________<\/p>\n

Thom Mitchell is New Matilda’s environment and industrial relations reporter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 newmatilda.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nuclear energy will now be on everyone’s lips and maybe one day in everyone’s homes, with the announcement of a Royal Commission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-energy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53515\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}