ttbn,

He lives in hope.

In vain.

The likes of ttbn wants Australia to be a sabre rattler without realising we don't actually have a sabre to rattle.

Binoy obviously has an anti Australian agenda.

Hasbeen, we could make much more steel if we had cheaper 24/7 dispatchable power (MSR thorium or MSR nuclear waste burners) and stopped exporting iron ore to China.

You always seem to know what we don't or can't do, but never ever how to fix the problem identified.

Here I'm referring to the big arc furnaces that we use to make steel. Double them and we doble steel production here or tribble or quadruple.

All the prevents that outcome are parliaments wasting our money propping up foreign investment. Unsustainable tax reform.

Foreign investment should be limited to investment bonds that would pay for what I've outlined. We may need to foreign dollars but not the foreign control or ownership.

u One also needs massive electrical power to smelt titanium. Which if reinforced with graphene, would produce hulls able to withstand depths that would crush any other sub and keep them safer when depth charged.

Nuclear power could produce underwater speeds as high as 60 knots and enable the sub to remain submerged until they ran out of food rations.
Alan B.

If you're not a warmonger, or a US sycophant, then you're obviously anti Australia, no one could accuse you and a few others on here of that.

One cannot rely on intermittent power when smelting steel, aluminium or titanium. The big graphite refractory grade crucibles cost millions per. Cannot runout of electricity halfway through an arc furnace smelt. As the cooling metal would contract and destroy the crucible. Battery backed power, not suitable, given the limited time they replace other power sources.

We once led the world in advanced ship building and the one step steel smelting process. And could do so again, but for the cost to us of energy, our coal and our gas, all of which are produced here and for the most part from stuff we Aussies once owned.

If we built MSR thorium reactors we could use the power, they generate to underpin economies of scale ship building to the world. Which as an island continent and maritime nation, makes perfect sense.

And wisely managed rather than sold to foreign investors by demonstrably insane idealogues. Would mean we could and should end supply side shortages.

I think at this time, the energy paradigm advocated should by limited exclusively to ships, subs and armament building/construction. And only replace coal fired power when they are decommissioned.

Making our steel offshore is a mugs game and we need to return to making it here. And don't now to any extent because of the current prohibitive, economy destroying cost to us, of energy!
Alan B.