18 May, 2018
National leader kicks own goal on NSW energy policy
The Nature Conservation Council has welcomed NSW Nationals Leader John Barilaro’s admission in The Australian newspaper that the Berejiklian Government has “no clear plan or policy” on climate and energy. [1]
“We have been saying the same thing for years,” Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said.
“NSW has no coherent policy for cleaning up the state’s dirty electricity system, even though this state has some of the most abundant and accessible clean energy resources in Australia.
“Mr Barilaro’s assessment of his own government’s lack of a coherent climate and energy policy is insightful, but his suggestion we replace coal-burning power station with nuclear is utterly reckless.
“Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous, and expensive, and would leave a toxic legacy for thousands of years.
“The people of NSW do not want it and they don’t need it.
“Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s claim that ‘the jury’s still out’ on nuclear power shows how out of touch her government has become.
“The people of NSW overwhelmingly want their power to come from clean sources – from the wind and the sun and from batteries and pumped hydro.
“Clean energy is by far the cheapest, cleanest and most sustainable way to meet our energy need, and they offer regional areas a very bright future.
“Our research shows four regions in NSW could be clean-energy superpowers that could not only replace the state’s five coal-burning power stations with clean energy by 2030 but export power to other states as well. [2]
“The transition from dirty coal and gas to clean solar, wind and storage will attract $25 billion of investment, result in the construction of about 2,500 wind turbines and installation of more 42 million solar panels across the state.
“If Mr Barilaro is serious about going nuclear, he must say where the mines, uranium processing plants, reactors, and radioactive waste dumps will go before pushing the industry’s barrow any further.”
REFERENCES
[1] www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/john-barilaro-to-push-the-nuclear-power-button/news-story/bab8853166732f22c23c22c55731eac4
[2] www.nature.org.au/media/287133/repowering-our-regions-ncc-2017.pdf
Tags
Climate and energyPollution and wasteUranium
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