To reach the net-zero goal, Australia's PM Albanese urged to lift nuclear ‘ban’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under pressure to abandon the nation's opposition to nuclear energy in order to create a viable path toward net-zero emissions by 2050, both domestically and internationally.

The importance of nuclear energy in resource-rich Australia has come back into focus following the announcement at this week's COP28 summit in Dubai by more than 20 countries that they would triple their nuclear capacity. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said during the conference that Australia should "lift the ban" on nuclear energy since it "is a source necessary to succeed in carbon neutrality in 2050."

As the nation moves away from fossil fuels, the head of the Australian Workers Union, the oldest trade union in the country, called on the government to consider the nuclear option in order to preserve jobs in heavy industry.

Australia has had a national nuclear power moratorium since 1999, but in recent months, discussion over nuclear power's place in the nation's energy balance has heated up. However, experts warn that political and structural obstacles may prevent nuclear power from being included in Australia's future energy mix.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton urged Australia to join the "international nuclear energy renaissance" in July, claiming that reactors could be constructed on the locations of decommissioned coal-fired power plants and connected to already-existing transmission lines.

Despite a surge in funding for infrastructure and renewable energy projects, Australia is not on course to reach its legally mandated 2030 climate targets. According to Australia's most recent annual climate change statement, which was made public last month, the country's greenhouse gas emissions increased from the previous year to June.