OPINION | DAVID HESS
Uncomfortable pathways
The new age of excitement for nuclear energy has brightened prospects for nuclear power plants globally – and also created opportunities for some nuclear technologies and concepts that the international community is decidedly less comfortable with.
David Hess, Senior VP DeepGeo
HERE ARE RECOGNISED ENTRY pathways by which newcomer countries begin and progress their journey towards deploying nuclear power plants. As they set out upon these journeys countries initially build infrastructure such as research centres, simulators, possibly some
research/training reactors – or perhaps even uranium mines as important nurturing steps for developing nuclear competencies and bringing in key partners. The international nuclear community is comfortable with this and geared towards supporting this familiar journey. Very much not on the list is nuclear submarines. While this is indeed the path that the USA took in the pioneering days of the cold war – launching the first nuclear powered submarine before establishing the first nuclear power plant
– there is little reason to do so today. Nuclear submarines have been described as the most complex machines ever invented. They take all the nuances of nuclear engineering and combine them into a sophisticated combat vessel which must survive in a high-pressure underwater environment. From this perspective, the AUKUS deal is therefore
©Alexy Kovynev
quite simply mind-blowing. It is worth recapping for those that are unaware or have forgotten the details. Announced initially in 2021, with a more comprehensive agreement set out in 2024, the deal remains on track according to recent media stories. The agreement forms part of a long term defence pact that ties together the USA, Australia and the UK. Under the deal Australia will first experience the rotational deployment of US and UK nuclear-powered subs in the late 2020s, go on to acquire as many as five Virginia class submarines from the US in the 2030s, whilst jointly developing (with the UK) the SSN AUKUS submarines for the deployment in the 2040s. When that first nuclear sub enters Australian hands, it will join an elite league of only six countries to possess these vessels. Along with this comes new responsibilities and waste streams.
By jumping straight to nuclear subs and apparently eschewing nuclear power, Australia has chosen a hard path. Apart from the USA, only China has developed nuclear submarines in advance of nuclear power. Nuclear industry veterans know well that there are strong synergies between the power sector and the nuclear navy, as it allows for sharing of vital human and technology resources. While sometimes nuclear energy sceptics have claimed that the naval sector ‘subsidises’ the power sector, in truth given the comparative size of the sectors it is more often the other way around. It is frankly difficult to imagine that Australia could end
“We were convinced that the right approach to start our nuclear journey was with a submarine”
12 | December 2025 |
www.neimagazine.com
up possessing these nuclear machines and not split atoms for electricity, despite whatever politicians are currently saying. The long-term energy trajectory of Australia has been influenced by AUKUS whether today’s politicians know it or not.
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