News & Views item - May 2006

 

 

Nuclear Power -- Read the Synopsis and Believe. (May 26, 2006)

    If you thought that the Federal Government would make available the full report commissioned by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) you may read the following media release from the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop with a wry smile.

 

One might even be just that bit suspicious that the Coalition government wasn't all that keen on allowing close independent scrutiny of the full report to determine how critically, thoroughly and objectively it had been compiled, and what data were used and assumptions made in drawing the conclusions.

 

Oh, did someone mutter alternative sources of energy.

From Ms Bishop's office:

While visiting the OPAL reactor, the CEO of ANSTO Dr Ian Smith handed the Minister a report by independent consultant Professor John Gittus on the economics of nuclear power in Australia.

The study concluded that the latest types of nuclear power stations would be competitive with newly-built coal-fired power stations in Australia.

It also concluded that nuclear power is the safest, most secure way of generating electricity with greater price stability in comparison to gas or coal power generation.

The analysis by Prof Gittus found that the option of nuclear power is even more attractive when including the cost of environmental damage and carbon dioxide emissions from new coal or gas-fired power stations.

Minister Bishop said, “I welcome this report as a useful contribution to what I hope will be an evidence-based debate about nuclear power in Australia. The debate must focus on the facts and not be biased by emotion.”

“I will ask ANSTO to release a synopsis of the findings while I consider the full report in detail.”

 

Please note: The synopsis will be available from www.ansto.gov.au from Sunday 28 May.

And who is "independent consultant Professor John Gittus"?

      According to the Wikipedia

John Gittus was elected Regents’ Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles in 1990. He is Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth, England. He was a Director of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (later AEA Technology) and is now a Consultant to Governments and private industry on nuclear and energy matters world-wide.

 

[He was] the first Director General of the British Nuclear Industry Forum, where he gave further help with the restructuring of the UK nuclear industry, a process that is still going on. When his term of office there was complete he became a consultant, first to his successor and then, quickly, to other nuclear companies at home and overseas. On the death of Lord Marshall of Goring, Professor Gittus was appointed to succeed him at Cox Insurance Holdings Plc, advising on the insurance of the world’s nuclear power stations and other nuclear installations.

    He and Mr Michael Dawson now run Lloyds of London Insurance Syndicate 1176, the biggest commercial insurer of nuclear power stations and other facilities in the world.

 

[Note added 060528: The seven page synopsis is available at  http://www.ansto.gov.au/Nuclear_Options_Paper_May061.pdf. It is interesting to compare the biographic note given on page 2 of the synopsis with the material published in the Wikipedia.]