Nuclear could provide cheap energy but would only be competitive with gas and coal if carbon pollution is priced, nuclear association says.
Australia would need to adopt a carbon price for nuclear power to be economically viable, a peak lobby group for the sector says, as it welcomes a push by the Nationals for a fresh Senate inquiry into the idea.
The Australian Nuclear Association, which advocates for nuclear science and technology, said nuclear power could provide cheap, reliable, carbon-free energy in Australia, but it would only be cost competitive with gas and coal generation if pollution was priced.
“They [reactors] don’t stack up in the current environment unless you have got some direct government intervention or a carbon price,” the ANA’s vice president, Robert Parker, said, suggesting a carbon price of about $20 a tonne would be sufficient for the sector to be competitive.