Pro-nukes talkfest an unwelcome distraction in Gippsland

An industry funded pro-nuke talkfest taking place in Morwell this weekend fronted by former Miss America Grace Stanke amounts to little more than a smokescreen for the Coalition’s anti-renewable agenda and won’t address the cost of living crisis in the region, local experts and Environment Victoria warned today.

Greg Dyer, a local engineer with over 40 years experience says that the nuclear push makes zero sense in Gippsland, which sits on a seismically active fault line, noting that GeoScience Australia have stated that we can expect a magnitude 7 earthquake sometime this century in Australia – most likely close to a seismically active fault line like Central Gippsland.

“Gippsland is well known in engineering for being seismically active, and geological maps show numerous fault lines throughout the region with a major fault along the edge of the Strzelecki Ranges just 5 km from Loy Yang power station and the station itself sits on another fault line.”

“The one question everyone needs to ask in relation to the LNP nuclear concept is how much their promised ‘massive savings for families and businesses ‘ will be and when will we get them?”

“Nuclear will only ever deliver a fraction of our electricity needs and couldn’t possibly be built before 2045. It’s too little too late to help with today’s cost of living issues.”

“I am also concerned about the impacts on both local business and property prices in the region  if offshore wind gets knocked over and we end up living next to a nuclear power plant.”

“Why is Darren Chester risking thousands of jobs in the Gippsland region that are already in the pipeline for the $40 billion of offshore wind projects the Wellington Shire has applications for?” said Dyer.

Hayley Sestokas, senior Latrobe Valley Organiser for Environment Victoria, said the conference is really just a PR exercise for the pro-nuclear lobby and isn’t grounded in the realities of those living in the region, noting that even the non-partisan Mine Land Rehabilitation Authority (MLRA) have spoken out against the notion of Loy Yang housing a nuclear power facility.

“Nuclear power might have worked in other countries, but it’s not the right fit for Australia, and certainly isn’t the right fit for the Latrobe Valley, sitting on a fault line and next to a coal pit which is inherently unstable.”

“We have over $40bn of investment and renewable energy jobs that are already materialising for people in Gippsland. To pursue this nuclear fantasy puts all that at risk.”

“It’s all well and good to bring in nuclear engineers from out of town but we have our own experts here who are saying nuclear power is not suitable for our region,” she said.