Nuclear Asia Leaves Australia In Dark Ages

Asia’s Nuclear Renaissance Leaves Australia In Dark Ages

“Nuclear power is flourishing right across Asia at the moment‚ but Australia‚ despite its enormous nuclear potential‚ is mired in the dark ages‚” Citizens Electoral Council leader Craig Isherwood said today.

Mr Isherwood was responding to South Korea’s dramatic announcement last week‚ of a massive expansion in its nuclear exports. Three weeks after winning its first overseas order to build four nuclear power reactors in the United Arab Emirates‚ South Korea now aims to secure $400 billion of contracts by 2030 as global demand for atomic energy increases‚ The Korea Herald reported 14th January. South Korea plans to export 80 nuclear reactors by then and conquer 20 per cent of the global market‚ the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a statement. South Korea will thus become the world’s third-largest nuclear plant exporter.

“The best chance for South Korea will come in new nuclear countries‚ for example Indonesia‚ Vietnam‚ Malaysia‚ Thailand‚ and Middle East countries‚” Steve Kidd‚ director of strategy and research at the World Nuclear Association‚ said‚ pointing to the attractive prices and a record of building nuclear power plants at home‚ which will help Korea Electric secure more contracts. The cost of building Korea Electric’s APR1400 reactor is $2‚300 per kilowatt‚ compared with $2‚900 for Areva’s EPR™ and Japan’s ABWR‚ according to the South Korean government.

“The nuclear power related business will be the most profitable market after automobiles‚ semiconductors and shipbuilding. … We will promote the industry as a major export business‚” the ministry said. South Korea is considering linking up with global major players to enter markets including the U.S. and China‚ and it will also target the $78 billion global market to operate‚ maintain and repair reactors‚ according to the ministry statement. South Korea is furthermore planning to buy stakes in uranium mines to secure a stable supply of the fuel.

Seoul is also intent on revising the nuclear agreement with the U.S. to allow Korea to have a full cycle‚ including processing and reprocessing of nuclear fuel‚ so that they can be a reliable nuclear supplier.

South Korea’s announcement is part of a nuclear renaissance right across Asia‚ including China‚ India‚ Southeast Asia and the Middle East‚ which is summarised in this 12 minute LaRouchepac.com video: Asia’s Nuclear Renaissance. (Click here for text version.)

Mr Isherwood said Australia’s political decision to limit its nuclear involvement to exporting uranium‚ is costing jobs‚ and denying Australia access to wonderful technology.

“Australia has the greatest reserves of the two major nuclear fuels‚ uranium and thorium‚ and an enormous need for their use‚” he said.

“We should be developing thorium nuclear power in particular‚ in cooperation with India‚ which also has large thorium reserves: our two nations are very different in population size‚ but very similar in respect to vast areas of dry land‚ surrounded by ocean‚ which are crying out for modular nuclear power plants to both generate electricity and desalinate water—cheaply—for which thorium would be perfect.

“With Australia’s natural penchant for innovation and ingenuity‚ our involvement in nuclear power wouldn’t just be of enormous benefit to us‚ but could be a gift to the world in the form of unique know how and innovations that we could export to the poorer countries of Africa and Asia so that they too can raise their living standards.” He concluded with a blast to the political opposition which is holding nuclear power back in Australia:

“If the irrational baby boomers who were brainwashed to fear nuclear power in the 1960s and have fought against its use in Australia ever since‚ lived in the time of Prometheus‚ they would have told Prometheus to keep his gift of fire‚ and turned him over to Zeus and the gods of Olympus for punishment!

“Our national position is almost as bad as Europe‚ where the baby boomers in charge are so nuts they are giving their Promethean fire back‚ by shutting down their nuclear reactors; even France‚ which is 76 per cent nuclear‚ has succumbed to green pressure and made concessions to promote the backward technologies of solar and wind power‚ by agreeing to subsidise those industries at 58 euro cents per kWh‚ even though electricity from nuclear power costs only 3 euro cents per kWh!

“Europe is decaying‚ Asia is advancing‚ and it’s time for Australia to make a choice‚” he said.

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ENDS

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