Australians urged to adopt nuclear power

摘要

The Australian Nuclear Association (ANA) has appealed to Australians to understand that nuclear energy is ready to make a valuable contribution to low-emission dispatchable generation for Australia. Australia is heavily dependent on coal for electricity, more so than any other developed country. Almost two-thirds of electricity production is derived from coal. Natural gas is increasingly used for electricity, especially in South Australia and Western Australia. After many years of low investment, there is a major challenge to build more dispatchable generating capacity. Although it is home to the 20 MWt Opal research reactor, nuclear power has been prohibited in Australia since 1998 under two Acts of Parliament: the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.