by John Reid
A couple of days ago I was a little surprised to hear the new Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, proclaim that all the talk about nuclear power for Australia is complete nonsense because nuclear is far more expensive than renewables. Surely not, I thought. But then, maybe I have been misled so I had better check it out.
Google immediately led me to WNISR, World Nuclear Energy Industry Status Report and various reports about this report.: The cost of generating solar power ranges from $36 to $44 per megawatt hour (MWh), the WNISR said, while onshore wind power comes in at $29–$56 per MWh. Nuclear energy costs between $112 and $189.
Well, there it is in black and white, straight from the World Nuclear Industry’s peak body, evidently.
Or is it? It seemed a strangely self-effacing statement for such a body, so I thought I would check out the credentials of the authors. Chief among these is a person named Mycle Schneider. According to Wikipedia he is a self-taught energy consultant, nuclear analyst and anti-nuclear activist, who has been adviser to Green members of the European Parliament on energy issues for more than twenty years.
The report is not an honest appraisal of the nuclear industry by its own members.
It is anti-nuclear propaganda purporting to come from the industry.
It is false flag propaganda!