Nuclear Issues in Australia and Beyond; One Perspective
Professor George Dracoulis, FAA (Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science)
Australian National University
Thursday, August 23
3:30 pm, Room 118 Nieuwland Science Hall
Nuclear issues in Australia have had, at best, a conflicted history: A country with significant uranium resources but no nuclear power. In this talk I will cover selected aspects of uranium production, nuclear fission, the scale of present and future nuclear power world-wide, life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from competing technologies, and the demand and comparative cost of electricity generation in Australia. As far as time permits, I will try to touch on the numerous topics that underlie the debate including politics, risk, public perception and public acceptance in the year following the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl and dramatic events in Japan, with likely ramifications for the nuclear industry.
George Dracoulis has been a member of Department of Nuclear Physics at the Australian National University since 1973, and was Head from 1992.to July 2009. He was appointed Professor Emeritus in 2010. During 2006 he was a member of the Prime Minister’s task force that reviewed the prospects for uranium mining and nuclear energy in Australia, and he has been involved in public engagement on nuclear policy issues, locally and abroad.