Australia may sell uranium to Ukraine power plants

A public hearing next week will examine a treaty that would allow Australia to sell uranium to the Ukraine for use in its nuclear power plants.

The hearing will be held by The Treaties Committee in Canberra on Monday, November 21.

Committee Chair, the Hon Stuart Robert MP, said that the subject of nuclear cooperation is coming before the Committee more frequently as the demand for less carbon-intensive forms of energy increases.

“While there may be benefits for Australia from this treaty, as with previous inquiries of this nature, we want to be certain that there are adequate safeguards in place,” Mr Robert said.

“We want to ensure that there is no danger of our uranium being misused for nuclear weapons or military purposes.”

Ukraine is highly reliant on nuclear power with four nuclear power plants supplying over half of the country’s electricity.

Although Australia’s current share of global production is only around 11 per cent, it has about one third of the world’s economically recoverable uranium.

Growing demand for nuclear energy provides an opportunity for expansion of the Australian industry, generating jobs and economic growth.

The Committee will hear from relevant Government departments as well as environmentalists and the minerals industry at the public hearing.

The public hearing will begin at 11am on Monday at Parliament House in Canberra.

Previous articleUK, US to provide input into Australian energy security
Next articleSydney’s largest CBD solar project open for investment