The woman responsible for developing next-generation small modular nuclear reactors for global energy giant Westinghouse says the “tide will turn” on the no-emissions technology in Australia, and a nuclear reactor could be in operation here by the late 2030s., Westinghouse Electric Company chief technology officer Rita Baranwal said it could be the missing link to help the country reach net zero emissions by 2050.
“The fuel in nuclear submarines is much more highly enriched and you have 18-year-old sailors who are right up against it for weeks at a time, and they have operated safely in the United States without incident for decades,” she said. “That’s something the nuclear industry has been accustomed too. We absolutely must have social licence, media and stakeholder engagement – all of these voices have to be heard before we can initiate the planning process,” she said.
said there was no basis for lifting the legislative prohibitions on nuclear energy for power generation.Dr Baranwal said Australia could learn from countries such as Poland, which used to be reliant on coal-fired power but has turned to large-scale and small modular nuclear reactors to reduce its carbon emissions.