A Nuclear Future for Australia

An Open Letter to CSIRO

The world is on the brink of momentous change. At the same time, the Australian government needs to give the voters a positive message about the future. It is natural for CSIRO to lead at this time.

Nuclear power is going to deliver the cheap, carbon-free high intensity energy that will shape the 21st century. We don't know which SMR (small modular reactor) technology will win, but it is clear that several are close to deployment and there is enormous scope for technological progress. Morrison explicitly said they were not ruling out nuclear. With Indonesia, and many other neighboring countries, going nuclear, there is little doubt we will follow. Leading environmentalists believe it is an essential technology to combat climate change while maintaining and increasing our standard of living.

When I was at CSIRO the public was very anti-nuclear, and we were pleased to escape being united with ANSTO. That is now rapidly changing, and CSIRO will be left behind if it doesn't endorse and support nuclear energy. Deploying and taking full advantage of nuclear power is a multidisciplinary job, so union with ANSTO is now a good step.

The public is ready to hear about the need for disaster preparation. A recurring world-wide disaster is a large volcano erupting, sometimes for years, and significantly reducing sunlight, leading to agriculture failures. This happens every few hundred years on average, the most recent being Mount Tambora in 1815. This is, incidentally, an argument for nuclear power compared to solar. More significantly it is an argument for vertical farming using artificial light, which cheap nuclear power will make affordable. Vertical farming eliminates the need for chemicals, such as insecticides, which have damaged the natural environment. It can benefit from optimal levels of CO2 and just the light frequencies the plants use. Vertical farming is usually shown going up, but it can as easily go down out of sight. Allowing cities to be self-sufficient in basic food production and water purification will strengthen their ability to cope with many sorts of disaster.

Small reactors are also a natural way to power large ships, giving fast, quiet, cheap, and carbon-free shipping. This has the potential to connect Australia to the world, so that we are less reliant on trade with nearby economies such as China. I don't know whether it is practicable for Australia to be involved in manufacturing on that scale, but cheap power plus robot technology seems to open up the possibility.

A look at the map shows that Australia is lacking cities in its North-West. For a truly ambitious project we should build a city there that sits lightly on the land, producing its own water and most of its food, safely destroying its waste and producing no air pollution. I like to think the Aboriginal people will be supportive of this, because it is the blueprint for a world where we can return significant amounts of land to their care.

Further in the future, but clearly in view, is the advance in space technology. While most are thinking about the Moon and Mars, the smart money is on asteroids beyond the frost line, and avoiding deep gravity wells. While this is further in the future, there is an obvious connection to perfecting vertical farming and water purification using nuclear energy

It is in times like these that governments and voters are primed to accept a significant change in direction. Seize the moment.