Nuclear reactors at Lake Illawarra, Bass Point under advocates' vision

Of these Lake Illawarra is regarded as the most appropriate site, with locations selected largely for their access to water for cooling the reactors, a skilled workforce, and proximity to the power grid.

Federal Labor this week unveiled plans for an offshore wind zone 10-30km off the coast from Wombarra to Gerringong, setting up a conflict between industry boosters and residents who think it would ruin the Illawarra's beloved coastline, with renewable energy advocates forced to choose between the climate and the coast.

Read more: Wollongong offshore wind proposal draws mixed reception

Mr Parker's Nuclear for Climate Australia group thinks one answer could be a series of small nuclear reactors which would be free of carbon emissions.

Lake Illawarra is regarded as a "probable" for a nuclear power plant, along with Hume Hwy truckstop Marulan and several sites near the former steel city of Newcastle, while in the Illawarra Bass Point and Fitzroy Falls are "possibles".

The main driver of Nuclear for Climate Australia is Robert Parker, an engineer from Berrima in the Southern Highlands, who told the Mercury there were "a lot of reasons" why Illawarra locations would be a good fit.

Two "small" reactors - he singled out General Electric-Hitachi's BWRX 300mW "small modular reactor" (SMR) - could satisfy the energy demand for much of the Illawarra.

"You've got good flat land, you've got a port, you can bring the plants in off the wharves there without lugging them all around the country, and you've got cranes and good construction facilities, close proximity to concrete supplies," he said.

Port Kembla itself was not ideal as it was better to be more remote from population centres - and with a stable geological foundation.

"Bass Point is good, particularly because it's a little bit more remote from the from the populations, and it's also got a very good foundation and headland," he said.

"It's desirable to have your [nuclear power plant] a little bit above sea level, in good sound rock. The General Electric [reactor], you've got to go down below ground level about 35-40m. It's desirable to still be in good material all the way down as opposed to being in a swamp."

The fact Bass Point is a nature reserve may pose difficulties with local authorities and residents if the idea were to move closer to reality.

Mr Parker said the edge of Lake Illawarra, near the existing Tallawarra gas-fired power station, was the region's best site but for one factor - the regular presence of vintage aircraft.

"One minor downside of that spot is that it's a little bit close to the runway of Albion Park airport, which is not really a desirable thing to have," Mr Parker said.

"Particularly when they're trying to drag in very big planes that ... I'll be kind, they are old ones.

"But if those sorts of issues were resolved then I think that would be another spot that you could look at."

The other factor the Illawarra provided was electricity demand.

"For the Illawarra, population [about] 300,000, that would suit one 300 megawatt reactor," Mr Parker said.

"And then if you take things like the BlueScope load, and industrial loads, you've got yourself up about 600MW fairly quickly.

"You've got the people, you've got the cooling resource, you've got the grid and the really good thing you got down there, of course, is you've got a port."

Fitzroy Falls was a "dark horse", he said, benefiting from the proximity of multiple main electricity transmission lines nearby - but the distance a reactor would need to be trucked was a drawback.

"It's a tight area and it's whether that reservoir would be available for water or not," he said.

"So it wouldn't be the first one you'd jump at building. It's not nearly as good as one down on, for example, Bass Point."

Mr Parker said the reactors would come pre-built, with two major parts and fuel rods to be transported separately.

"As far as anyone would be concerned, what they'd see is just a big heavy steel tube," he said.

"The top head would come separately and that would be bolted on, on-site, after you've done your fuel load and put that into the plant.

"The nuclear fuel would all come in separately on a separate truck and be loaded up onsite.

"The reactor pressure vessel is 29.4m long, about 4.5m in diameter - so imagine a big long tube. Of course it's more complex than that - it's got valve connections all up and down it - but that's essentially what it looks like."

Small reactors in the Illawarra - along with a mix of larger reactors - were one of the ways Mr Parker said Australia could secure its energy future without carbon emissions. He and Kiama engineer Robart Barr travelled to Canada last year and saw the development of several SMRs on the edge of Lake Ontario.

Mr Parker, a former president of the Australian Nuclear Association, is prolific on social media where he describes himself as "passionate about stopping global warming and bringing back a price on carbon".

One of his recent essays argues nuclear is necessary for the energy sustainability vital to "human dignity".

While Peter Dutton's Federal Opposition appears to be firming up a pro-nuclear energy position, the Government does not.

At the recent G20 energy ministers' meeting in Goa, India, Mr Bowen all but ruled out a nuclear push.

"Nuclear plays a role in various countries' mix, but in Australia, it never has," he told US network CNBC.

"Wherever you look, there's issues from our point of view with nuclear energy."