The International Energy Agency – no global warming sceptic – has specifically said a full renewable grid is not deliverable with existing technologies.Bowen and billionaire mate Twiggy Forest spruik green hydrogen but viable technology to produce it profitably does not yet exist. That’s why Twiggy, who bags nuclear, is travelling the world looking for government subsidies.
Bowen also fails to discuss how the cost of a single nuclear reactor and the time needed to build it compare with Snowy 2.0. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s “battery for the nation” is likely to cost
$20bn rather than the original forecast of $2bn and take 10 years to build rather than the original estimate of four years.This column reported in February 2022 former Energy Security Board chief Kerry Schott saying Australia needed another 20 such pumped hydro projects to firm up the grid. That could build a lot of nuclear capacity given the four newly commissioned reactors at the United Arab Emirates Barakah project were
built in 10 years for $US20bn by its Korean contractor.
The original plan for grid firming in Australia was to establish gas peaking plants that are less carbon intensive than coal, and can be turned on and off quickly. Having signed up to such plans under the Gillard Labor government, the Greens quickly backflipped against gas.
The Coalition should fight the politics of renewables on
gas firming and drive a wedge through the green movement on the damage large wind projects, city-sized solar array plans and the network build are doing to the natural environment. Former Greens leader Bob Brown has already criticised Tasmanian
wind projects for the environmental damage they cause.https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/peter-duttons-nuclear-push-makes...There will be no nuclear energy without bipartisan support.