While the political brawling between Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and the Coalition’s Ted O’Brien has been a distraction for Australians, as Jennifer Hewett pointed out last Wednesday the vital issue is keeping the lights on while the country grapples with its climate change response. The reality is that Australia can do both – by using nuclear.

Hewett’s main concern is that nuclear can’t make its emissions-free contribution to Australia’s energy needs in time for the government’s self-imposed deadline of 82 per cent renewables by 2030. But though renewables might not make the deadline either, small modular reactors (SMRs) could come fairly close to the deadline if the government repeals the 24-year-old ban on nuclear.