CANBERRA, Australia, June 14 (UPI) -- A top Australian nuclear proponent urged the country to include nuclear energy to fight climate change, while the country's uranium industry is set to expand.
Ziggy Switkowski, chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, said during a University of Melbourne lecture that nuclear power is the leading emissions-free baseload generator of electricity.
"We are living through a significant warming period largely driven by the accumulation of (greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere arising from our use of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and petrol," Switkowski said, AsiaPulse reports. "And all available platforms for generation must be on the table."
Australia has no nuclear power plants, but is the world's largest supplier of uranium and has the largest deposits. Earlier this year, the country relaxed its restrictions on mining uranium, which is enriched and fabricated to fuel nuclear plants.
Nuclear Fuel Australia Limited said it will present a feasibility study for a facility to enrich uranium in Australia, World Nuclear News reports. That would increase the value of the uranium it exports.
"Planning for, and investment in, electricity generation need to happen now," Switkowski said, urging the government revamp its anti-nuclear attitude. He headed the 2006 government report titled "Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review."
