FOR PRESS

ED- 29

RELEASE : IMMEDIATE

NUCLEAR POWER.

Ã¢ÂÂ¢  It is well known that fast breeder nuclear pewer '   reactors, with their promise of very cheap electrical energy,Â·   will not become available commercially before the early 1980’8,  ,the Minister for National Development (Mr. Swartz) said today.

"If we wait until the fast breeders are available  *  off the shelf* and do nothrng in the meantime to develop a  nuclear power technology, we could find ourselves in a  position where we would be lagging badly compared with other

industrial countries," he said, "We could also experience  difficulty in obtaining the requisite fuel and might not be  able to generate nuclear power until the 1-9901  s.

"Cheap electrical energy is essential to our economy  and we must avoid putting our developing manufacturing ,   industries at serious disadvantage with competitors having  access to cheap power.

'  "In these circumstances the Australian Government*s decision to 1  go nuclear* on current proved technology could not  be considered premature,"

Mr. Swartz was commenting on a recent editorial inÂ·  "The Coal Miner," journal of the Australian Coal Association,  suggesting that Australia's first nuclear power project should  be deferred until fast breeders become available.

The editorial added that the decision to use  Australian uranium fuel in the station was a sound move towards  reducing Australia's dependence on overseas uranium supplies.

It stated that fast breeders would "out-date the *   type of atomic power producer being contemplated for Australia,  and that for the time being coal-based thermal stations were  a more- economic proposition.

"The Government is fully aware that the proposed  nuclear station will not be economically competitive with the  large thermal units at present under construction on the coal  fields of New South Wales," Mr. Swartz said.

"It must be remembered that New South Wales is  unusually well endowed with deposits of high grade coal and  ample cooling water close to the major centres of population  and industry, and with a tremendous potential for development  in the future.

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"The efficiency of thermal power stations is bound  up with the efficiency of the coal industry, an industry of  which every Australian can be proud both for its domestic  achievements and its valuable contribution to our mineral

export effort.

.  "The efficient production methods used in major  mines have, resulted in our obtaining coal at costs which are  remarkably low by world standards.

"Y/e cannot however stand, still. The Jervis Bay  station will be a small beginning to enable us to develop a  local technology and industrial capacity so that we can  rapidly adopt technical advances as they occur."

CANBERRA

5 March, 1970

