Oh and mhaze, Sylvia's mother said thank you for calling and sir won't you call back again, (try next centaury, you'll be dead by then W* ) !

"we could burn coal in a five gallon drum"

Or we could use coal to make this new-fangled electricity (cheap, reliable, efficient) and use that to heat the home. You know just like we did back in ancient times around 2005.

Sylvia's mother says, 'Sylvia's happy
So why don't you leave her alone?'

There was a time when Australia was happy with our power arrangements. If only the pollies had left the electricity market alone, we wouldn't have these problems.

Trust a politician famous for his simple "solutions"?

Unless a country is planning a nuclear weapons program at some future point a civilian nuclear power program is too expensive. This is compared to other baseload electrical energy sources.

Working nuclear power stations these days cost more than A$5 Billion to build and more than A$10 Billion each to decommission. That includes a total of $200 Billion Australian dollars equivalent to decommission 17 British nuclear power stations http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-UK-nuclear-clean-up-cost-estimate-dips-to-154-billion-15071602.html.

Our ABC seems well pleased that a new reactor didn't go ahead in South Africa
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-24/two-south-african-women-stopped-international-nuclear-deal/9691528.
I guess they can power the needed desal plants with coal. Perhaps the ABC should only transmit when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing.

South Australia's half paced uranium production generates over 200 Twh a year of near zero carbon electricity but in other countries. The state itself uses 16 Twh a year with one of the highest retail electricity prices in the world coupled with reliability problems. If they don't get it perhaps it's what they want.

Hi Taswegian

South Australia could certainly maintain its

"highest retail electricity prices in the world" status

1. if it diverted resources for the average 15 years it takes to build 1,000-2,000 MW city suitable nuclear power stations, and

2. then the 20 years after that paying off the particularly high capital costs of nuclear power stations...

Even the politician author can't counter reactor costs or the realities of public opinion in SA or his own state of NSW.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/barilaro-sees-nuclear-future-labor-criticises-lack-of-detail-20180420-p4zaty.html

Small modular reactors (SMRs) in series will do the trick and Oz should aim to be at the forefront.

e.g. http://www.nuscalepower.com/