Support aired for outback South Australia nuclear power

There has been a call for greater debate on the potential for nuclear energy to provide power to parts of South Australia's outback.

Earlier this week, an environmental scientist from the University of Adelaide predicted some outback mines could be nuclear-powered within 20 years.

Retired Port Lincoln geology teacher and member of the Australian Nuclear Forum, Terry Krieg, is supporting the move.

He has begun lobbying state politicians over the issue, saying South Australia should at least start considering using so-called small modular reactors.

"South Africa have been making them for years, they're small units and my view is that Olympic Dam, for example, two or three of those in a bank would power Olympic Dam and Roxby Downs and much of the north," he said.

"They're very much on the go, small modular reactors, and that would be the way to go for us in South Australia."

He says it is hypocritical of South Australians to adopt a 'not in my backyard' attitude, given SA supplies the raw materials for many of the world's nuclear power stations.

"To say that, 'well it's alright for those people to have it but I won't have one near to me', that's just silly, uninformed behaviour because it's a heck of a lot safer living next-door to a nuclear power station than it is living next-door to a coal-fired power station," he said.

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