Lake Illawarra, Bass Point nuclear power plant vision ridiculed

The Nuclear for Climate group's Robert Parker outlined a vision whereby a number of "small modular reactors" built offshore could take care of the region's electricity needs, with Lake Illawarra being the preferred site.

Wollongong Greens councillor Mithra Cox said it was "one of the silliest ideas I have ever heard".

"Why on earth would we want a toxic, expensive and risky nuclear reactor on Lake Illawarra or at Fitzroy Falls when we have the most abundant, cheap and safe renewable energy resources of anywhere in the world?" Cr Cox said.

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"Look at Chernobyl, at Fukushima, as Zaporizhzia - when nuclear reactors have accidents, the are catastrophic.

"Solar power is the cheapest form of electricity in human history, and wind power is fast catching up.

"And they come without the huge environmental and safety risks of uranium mining and storage or radioactive waste - something which has not been solved anywhere in the world."

South Coast Labor Council secretary Arthur Rorris gave the idea short shrift.

"The Fukushima strategy might be a little hard to sell these days," he said.

"It is true that big money is behind the nuclear push - the trouble is that it's our money they are after to pay for exorbitant power bills.

"Big business power companies feel threatened at the moment by solar and other clean energy technologies because they can't charge you for sunlight on your roof but they can charge you for building and operating billion dollar nuclear reactors."

Australian Conservation Foundation anti-nuclear campaigner Dave Sweeney said the technology in question had never operated commercially, was illegal in Australia, and would not gain popular or political support.

"This sort of discussion, no problems with it, not fearful of it, but it is a major distraction from where we need to be," he said.

"The Illawarra is on a pathway forward now to embrace big scale, big spend, big employment opportunities with renewables - and so is our nation. That rapid transition to renewable.

"And our fuel and energy future, as we say, that's renewable, not radioactive, that needs to stay right on track."