Legal team points to French nuclear and asks, 'What if...'

Guillaume De Rubercy and Prue Harvey of Claton UTZ penned a general review of Austrailia's energy options in Mondaq's Environmental and Energy readership.

In the article the authors point to the often sited French nuclear power programme. As I say here, we can not carbon-copy the French programme for a number of reasons. But De Rubercy and Harvey are spot on; generally speaking, there is much Australia can learn from French experiences.

From the text:

As however our current reliance on fossil fuels is not sustainable in terms of both supply and greenhouse gas emissions, Australia may soon have to face the unavoidable prospect of nuclear power. As we possess 40 percent of the world's uranium reserves, it is not surprising that the Switkowski report recommended the construction of Australia's first nuclear reactor by 2020, and a total of 25 nuclear reactors by 2050.

and they conclude:

Use of nuclear power in Australia remains highly controversial. Our heavy reliance on fossil fuels is not, however, a feasible long term solution. Nuclear power, as one potential alternative, may therefore become an unavoidable prospect in the future. While this may seem daunting, the regulations employed to ensure the successful exploitation of nuclear power in France will be a valuable tool when the time comes.