Community energy forums in Portland and Lithgow next week will bring together experts from the region and across Australia to answer questions about the economic and ecological risks of nuclear reactors.
The federal Liberal National Coalition has proposed building a nuclear reactor at the Mt Piper power station. Experts argue the plan is slow, expensive and won’t provide jobs for the Lithgow and Portland communities until decades in the future, if the reactors are ever built. There are a range of risks like the storage and disposal of radioactive waste and threats to water health and scarcity.
The meetings will be facilitated by Ian Gaillard, former coordinator of Gasfield Free Northern Rivers, with Dr Jim Green PhD from Nuclear Consulting Group providing expert insights into the impacts of nuclear reactors on both our economy and ecology. Local renewable energy and community engagement expert Kate Hook will address the benefits to jobs and climate of the transition to renewable energy and former CMEU State Secretary WA Bill Ethel will share his experiences representing workers facing a proposed nuclear reactor in Western Australia.
“Our communities have a proud history of producing the electricity to power our state. But we know that the coal power stations are closing,” says Kate Hook.
“We already get 40% of our electricity from sun and wind energy sources, backed up by storage like large-scale batteries. People already have jobs in the renewable industry, and the industry is growing fast. We can’t put all that on hold for an uneconomical pipedream like nuclear reactors.”
“The ongoing development of renewable energy sources offers a reliable energy pathway that is cheaper, quicker and safer than nuclear reactors and enjoys community support. Australia’s energy future is renewable, not radioactive,” said Dr Jim Green.
The forums have been coordinated by Solutions for Climate Australia, with the support of Lithgow Community Power Project and Lithgow Environment Group.
