FEATURING former ANSTO CEO and Chair of Nuclear for Australia Dr Adi Paterson in discussion with Adjunct Professor Stephen Wilson author of What would be required.

Most countries see nuclear power as an essential part of their electricity grid – it emits virtually no CO2 and is capable of powering a modern society 24/7. In fact over 20 countries signed the ‘Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy by 2050’ at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference last year.

Yet the Australan government, which sees itself in the vanguard of tackling CO2 emissions, with ambitions to be a “green energy superpower”, has turned its back on the future.

Adi Paterson has commissioned and run nuclear reactors, including Australia’s ANSTO research reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney. As we enter an election where nuclear is on the ballot, who better to explore the issue than Adi, in conversation with Adjunct Professor Stephen Wilson, who has literally written the book on what it would take to have nuclear power by the 2030s in Australia.

Paterson’s story is interesting, and starts in South Africa where he trained as an engineer, but not a nuclear engineer – that expertise came later. He is now chair of Nuclear for Australia, headed by Will Shackel, who is Australia’s most effective nuclear proponent.