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The chairman of an organisation representing 80 industry groups in the Illawarra says people might be less likely to view nuclear submarines as military targets if they know more about how they operate.
Key points:
- Plans for AUKUS submarines to be based at Port Kembla have drawn support from industry and technology representatives
- David Bridge says people need to understand more about what is being proposed
- Sarah Pavillard says nuclear powered submarines will lead to a dialogue on the pros and cons of nuclear power
Much of the initial local reaction to reports that Port Kembla had firmed as the Defence Department's preferred location for a new east-coast submarine base was negative or non-committal.
The NSW Greens and the South Coast Labour Council said nuclear powered submarines floating in Port Kembla harbour would make the region a military target and jeopardise plans for renewable energy jobs at the port.
Illawarra Innovative Industry Network chair David Bridge said Australia already used nuclear technology safely in hospitals, in industry isotopes and at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in southern Sydney.
"That word nuclear, people connect that with Chernobyl or Fukushima but at the end of the day there is nuclear in all its forms ... has been a part of society and communal benefits for decades now," he said.
"I think if people actually understood a little more about what's proposed they might not have those same concerns that they might otherwise have."
Not enough space
Port operator NSW Ports has also raised concerns about a lack of available space for such an operation in Port Kembla.
Chief executive Marika Kalfas said she hadn't been consulted by Defence about the AUKUS announcement.
It came after a detailed concept plan was launched in February for a large-scale port facility at Port Kembla's Outer Harbour to support offshore wind development projects.
"There isn't space to fit both the commercial port needs and the navy in the same location," she said.
But Wollongong councillor Dom Figliomeni, who formerly led the organisation that used to run the port before it was privatised, put forward a different view.
"I think there are options, particularly for the offshore wind farms," he said.
"They don't need to be stored specifically at the berth, there is a lot of land.
"And I suppose if we look at a lot of ports around the world there are compatibilities.
"It's just how you design them and how you make both live compatibility."
Australian Submarine Institute committee member Sarah Pavillard said while it was not a done deal, nuclear submarines came with the potential for carbon emission reductions.
"The fact that Australia over the next decade will be going through an extraordinary journey to manage naval nuclear reactor capability in Australia will naturally lead to a dialogue, maybe a more open political and national debate on the pros and cons of nuclear power as a source of power generation for Australia," she said.
Ms Pavillard said nuclear could be viewed as part of a necessary energy transformation mix.
"I think that it offers opportunities for Australia as do other technologies that might contribute to decarbonisation or Australia's decarbonisation efforts," she said.
"These are part of the melting pot of considerations Australia needs to make to determine how we are going to reduce our emissions over the next 20 years."