“No point buying FISSION when FUSION is just around the corner”
I suggest spreading the idea that fusion power is “just around the corner” as a push back against the Coalition’s nuclear fission power plan.
Fission can be presented as an obsolete, dirty and expensive technology that is about to be superseded.
Buying FISSION is like:
- Buying Betamax in 1980
- Buying a car with a CD player in 2025
- Buying an ICE car in 2026
As we wait for the “design of Fusion reactors to be finalised”, we should use whatever is cheapest for Australia.
That seems to be renewables!
Fusion Breakthroughs
- Largest fusion reactor ever built set to transform global energy production. Feb 2025
- The Conversation: AI could help make nuclear fusion practical. Jan 2025
- Phys.org: Chinese ‘artificial sun’ sets a record. Jan 2025
- BBC: New record brings dream of clean energy closer. Feb 2024
- Google Fusion Breakthroughs
Obviously there is still a long way to go before fusion is viable but they could be an option before fission plants can be built (2040+).
No nuclear fission submarines
Another argument against buying nuclear fission submarines is that by the time they arrive in 2040 there could well be a fusion power submarines that would be much less problematic.
Fusion power: The miracle we need
Given the immense technical difficulties of getting fusion power going on Earth it is easy to dismiss it as a distraction.
That would be a mistake though as fusion could be the magic bullet solution that generates enough power for the cold and dark northern winter while stopping CO2 emissions.
It could also generate enough power to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere later this century given that the biosphere may not be able to anymore.
For this reason Australia should continue be involved with fusion research and not prohibit fusion power reactors.