Blogger Ben Heard recently posted about solar power and AREVA on his Southern Australian blog, Decarbonize SA. He noted that AREVA Renewables, which was awarded funding under the Australian Government Solar Flagships Program for our 250-megawatt Solar Dawn concept, was part of the larger AREVA family (including nuclear power), and rhetorically asked if that put us in the category of “Saint” or “Sinner” or “Just Big Business.” Here’s where he settled:
Those who retain concerns that nuclear power is “big business”, and seek to buck the system by insisting on renewables, please just be aware of the following. Billion dollar energy investments, such as we need to decarbonise, whatever the technology, is nothing but big business.
Corporations are the vehicles for getting things like that done, be it solar, nuclear or other. In all cases, we deserve vigilant governance to ensure citizens get the best outcome. That is irrespective of the technology.
Indeed, we’ve long been clean energy fans; believing that large-scale, low-carbon power production with nuclear and renewables was both crucial and good for the planet, and good for jobs, the economy and business.
Read Ben’s entire blog post here, and be sure to view his detailed analysis in “Nuclear Power – From Opponent to Proponent.”