Yeah I see your point, too much water has been muddied by fracking and coal arguments, that the simple answer of gas plants is lost in the mist. Australia needs to get rid of the anti nuclear Luddites as well, it's well past time they realised its clean, safe and the waste can easily be stored in our vast empty center. Most don't even realise Lucas Heights was bubbling away between 1958 and 2007 on the edge of Sydney.
Some figures to mull over, Loy Yang A in the latrobe valley produces just over 2000 MW electricity or 30% of the nominal grid. Qatar just completed a 2000 MW gas fired plant for $1.7B USD, so you could replace 30% of grid with gas for around $2B USD installed. Now that is roughly the cost of one nuclear powered submarine (by itself with no support, training or infrastructure), or just over 2 torn up freeway contracts ($1B to cancel the East West link). What is funny is that Loy Yang is owned by AGL a gas company....
Nuclear power is around $7B per 1000 MW installation, expensive but average lifespan of over 60 years. Compared to say 30 years for conventional fuel plants.
Last edited by 43Inches; 25th May 2022 at 02:42.