‘Could be an absolutely clean energy superpower’: Expert calls for scraping of nuclear ban - theaustralian.com.au

An energy expert has called for the repeal of Australia's long-standing prohibition on nuclear power generation, arguing the country could become a "clean energy superpower" through diversified low-emissions electricity production. The expert framed nuclear as part of a portfolio approach rather than as a replacement for renewables. The Australian article reports the comments without naming specific policy outcomes or timelines.

Where this fits

This touches squarely on the firm-power problem. Renewables are now cheap on capital cost, but they do not run at night or in calm weather. Australia's energy mix needs dispatchable sources that can generate on demand, independent of weather and time of day. Nuclear is one option; coal is another; gas is a third. Each has a different cost structure, emissions profile, and construction timeline. The debate about nuclear's role in the grid is inseparable from the question of what Australia will rely on to keep the lights on when the sun is down and the wind is still. That question has no answer yet in current policy.

What it means

Australia cannot build a reliable grid on renewables alone without solving the firming problem at whole-system cost. Nuclear would add to that cost (high upfront capital, long build times, waste management) but also remove grid dependency on coal or gas running at low utilisation rates, which itself is expensive. The trade-offs are real. More importantly, the nuclear ban is a policy choice, not a technical inevitability. Removing it would at least allow Australia to model the actual cost and timeline of a nuclear contribution, rather than excluding it by law before comparing options.