Page 22 - Australian Defence Magazine April-May 2021
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                    22 SIA COLUMN
APRIL-MAY 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
 SUBMARINES, A TROJAN HORSE FOR NUCLEAR POWER IN AUSTRALIA?
  DENIS MOLE | SUBMARINE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA (SIA)
achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, it is noteworthy that no major economy intends doing so without nuclear power in the mix.
RAISING THE LEVEL OF DEBATE ABOUT NUCLEAR SUBMARINES
The SIA and UNSW co-hosted a semi- nar in Canberra in October 2019 titled, ‘A Nuclear Industry Future for Australia? Starting the conversation’. The previously mentioned book, “An Australian Nuclear Industry: Starting with submarines?”, evolved from that seminar.
The seminar was held at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and was highly successful. That seminar was broad in scope, looking at the possibility of a nuclear industry supporting both civil and naval requirements. In the course of the semi- nar, a consensus emerged among the expert scientists and academics that many Austra- lians who may be opposed to nuclear power stations would nevertheless understand and support nuclear power for submarines.
The SIA and UNSW intend convening a second seminar to “continue the conversa- tion” and it will be held in Canberra on Thursday 15 July 2021. Professor Tom Frame from UNSW will be the seminar moderator. Speakers include:
• Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister (keynote address);
• Professor Hugh White, Australian Na- tional University;
• Dr Joanne Lackenby, President, Austra- lian Nuclear Organisation;
• Kevin Scarce, former governor of South Australia and Commissioner, Royal Commission into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle;
• Helen Cook, lawyer, Global Nuclear En- ergy Advisory; and
• A number of senior executives with civil and naval nuclear industry experience. Tickets for the seminar will be available
for purchase from early May and informa- tion is available on the SIA website: https:// www.submarineinstitute.com/events/ ■
Commodore Denis Mole AM RAN (Rtd) is a former Commander of the Submarine Force, having previously commanded indi- vidual submarines, a surface combat ship and a naval base.
 A NEW BOOK, An Australian Nuclear Indus- try – Starting with submarines?, recently pro- duced by Connor Court Publishing and ed- ited by Professor Tom Frame from UNSW provides a wide overview of the history of uranium and nuclear power in Australia. The 10 authors of the book describe the case for nuclear power for both civil and naval application,andtheparlouslackofpolitical leadership in the country that has led to the current political impasse on this issue.
This article is not intended to repeat the case for nuclear powered submarines contained in the book. Suffice to say that it is highly unlike- ly that any Australian submarine commanding officer over the past 30 years doubts that con- ventional submarines are, overall, inferior to nuclear submarines. Diesel submarines have been around for about 120 years and nuclear submarines have been around for about 65 years, so neither form represents new technol- ogy. With a choice between the two, the lead- ing western maritime powers of the US, UK and France all adopted the nuclear power op- tionwithnodieselattacksubmarinesbecause it is the more effective technology. China’s navy is forecast to be larger than the US In- do-Pacific fleet by 2035, including a force of nuclear-powered submarines, about the same time that Australia’s first diesel Attack-class submarine will become operational.
By the time the 12th Attack-class subma- rine enters service around 2054, nuclear power will have been around for a century and that last boat will probably be in service until around 2080. Therefore, the suitabil- ity of conventionally powered submarines in the second half of the 21st century could be challenged.
WHY HAVE WE NOT OPTED FOR NUCLEAR SUBMARINES TO DATE? At the time that replacements for Austra- lia’s Oberon-class submarines were being developed in the 1980s, it is almost certain that neither the US nor UK would have sold nuclear submarines to Australia. With the cold war at its peak, their focus was on the USSR and the possibility of maritime war- fare in the North Atlantic. France was just
starting to develop its first nuclear-powered attack submarines, but what about when it came time to explore options to replace the Collins-class submarines?
The 2009 Defence White Paper an- nounced that the Collins class would be re- placed and Australia’s submarine force would be expanded to 12 boats. The Minister for Defenceatthetime,JoelFitzgibbon,directed the department that in developing options, it was not to bring forward any nuclear option. Three years later when he was no longer the Minister, Fitzgibbon admitted it was a mis- take ruling out a nuclear option, however nei- ther of his successors as Labor Defence Min- isters altered the “no nuclear” guidance to the department. Consequently, when the Coali- tion government came to power in 2013, only conventional options had been developed.
NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
Suggestions that Australia could not ac- quire nuclear-powered submarines without a broad nuclear industry are untested. The US haditsfirstnuclearsubmarineinservicebe- fore its first nuclear power station. Further- more, fuel for Australian nuclear-powered submarines would not have to be manufac- tured here, especially noting that contempo- rary American and British submarine reac- tors have nuclear fuel to last the life of the vessel. Nevertheless, the question must be asked, why doesn’t Australia have a large and diverse nuclear industry, especially consider- ing the country has 40 per cent of the world’s economically recoverable uranium?
Of the top 20 economies (Australia is 13th), 17 have nuclear power; Italy and Saudi Arabia don’t have nuclear power. Italy imports 16 per cent of its electricity from ad- jacent countries; more than half from France where it is produced from nuclear power. Saudi Arabia is acquiring nuclear power. Suggestions that Australia will replace its fossil fuel power stations with solar, wind and batteries is technically feasible, but the costs are enormous. Electricity from nuclear power is already cheaper in many countries, such as Canada and France, than electricity in Australia. Also, as various countries commit to









































































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