Australia says nuclear isn’t part of its energy mix. Here’s why
Nuclear energy has never been part of Australia’s energy mix as it has abundant renewables, according to Australia’s minister for climate change and energy.
“I’m not here to tell other countries what to do. Nuclear plays a role in various countries’ mix, but in Australia, it never has,” Chris Bowen told CNBC on the sidelines of the G20 energy ministers meeting in Goa, India.
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“Wherever you look, there’s issues from our point of view with nuclear energy,” he said, outlining problems that can come from adopting nuclear energy.
Apart from being extremely expensive, it generates large amounts of waste and is an inflexible energy source, he told CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah on Saturday.
Furthermore, Australia will be starting from “worse than scratch” since it never had a nuclear industry in the first place, he said.
Liddell Power Station, one of Australia’s oldest coal-fired power plants, was shut down on 28 April, 2023, after 52 years in operation.
Roni Bintang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Australia is also on its way to reducing reliance on coal and increasing its dependence on gas instead.
“Gas plays an important role in firming the grid as coal fired power leaves the grid … We have negative prices a lot during the day in Australia, and yet coal fired power stations are churning away,” he said, highlighting that gas fired power stations are more flexible and can be turned on and off.
The country shut down one of its oldest coal plants in April, and will be halting operations of another in 2025.
“They’re not going to be replaced with coal fired power, it’s just not going to happen,” Bowen said. “It’s not economic, it’s not in the future and the emissions are bad.”
Renewable energy is the way to go
To keep the lights on, Australia will have to “double down” on its investments in renewable energy, storage and transmission, the Australian minister said.
“We have such abundant renewables … Vladimir Putin can’t turn off the sun or the wind, [but] he can turn off the gas pipeline,” Bowen said referring to the Russian president, who has cut off gas supplies to Europe in retaliation against Western sanctions imposed as a result of the unprovoked war in Ukraine.
“For those countries that are blessed with abundant renewables, harnessing those renewables, increasing their share of our energy mix, and then exporting as much as possible in due course, is vital for national security as well.”
Australia’s renewable energy sector has made steady improvements in the last few years.
Renewable energy accounted for 35.9% of the country’s total electric generation in 2022, more than double from what it was in 2017 at 16.9%, according to a report by the country’s Clean Energy Council.
A greater push toward renewables has reduced coal demand. Share of coal generation fell from 59.1% in 2021 to 54.6% in 2022, but gas production increased by 1.2% in 2022 compared to the year before, the report said.
Wind turbines seen on hills surrounding Lake George, located near the Australian capital city of Canberra on May 30, 2023.
David Gray | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Bowen said Australia needs more investments in order to reach its net-zero goals, and this can be done if each sector is looked at individually.
“Sector by sector plans are important for Australia because each sector is so different,” he said. “We need the … government’s view of how this decarbonization is likely to happen, so we know where to focus our investments.”
He said what the government can do is limited, and investments from Australian businesses are very much needed.
“I’ve been struck by the level of support and engagement from Australian businesses — big and small, and from international investors.”
Asked what Australia aims to bring to the table at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in November, Bowen said “this COP needs to be a step forward in the world’s ambitions.”
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. And we’ll be at the table engaging with countries of goodwill to try and get the best possible outcome,” he added.
Environment
Destroyed Cybertruck used in Vegas bombing is for sale, Musk said Tesla would rebuild it
The Tesla Cybertruck used in the Las Vegas bombing appears to have landed in an auction for sale as salvaged, still destroyed. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla would put it back on the road.
Good luck with that.
In January, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at the Trump Tower in Las Vegas.
The driver is believed to have shot himself in the head right before the vehicle exploded. Evidence proved that some firework mortars and gas canisters were inside the Cybertruck’s bed.
After the explosion, Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised the Cybertruck for “containing” the explosion and reducing the damage.
He even went as far as claiming that the powertrain was still working and that Tesla would rebuild the Cybertruck and bring it back on the road:
“Once we get this Cybertruck back to Tesla, we’ll buff out the scratches and get it back on the road.”
When questioned about the seriousness of this statement, he affirmed, “No, I mean it.”
They clearly haven’t yet because the Cybertruck has now shown up as a salvaged vehicle for auction on IAA’s site:
It’s not clear if Tesla had an opportunity to get the truck until now, but they certainly could buy it now.
Electrek’s Take
Good luck rebuilding the truck. Maybe they can salvage the battery pack and motors in a new truck, but there’s no way or point to salvage the chassis.
Elon has already confirmed that Tesla engineers have looked at the car. I’m sure that they had the opportunity to get it from the insurance company.
I bet that Tesla doesn’t want the car, and it won’t be back on the road as Elon claimed. You can add it to the list of lies he told this year. Are we in the hundreds already? And we are only in March.
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What’s better than an all-electric boat? An all-electric boat with a hot tub in it. Niche boatbuilder Spacruzzi made waves (but limited wake) last year with an electric hot tub boat model showcased around the US, including Lake Tahoe and even on the Chicago River. For 2025, Spacruzzi has introduced a sleeker and more refined version of its electric boat and opened its waiting list for a limited number of builds scheduled for this year.
Spacruzzi is a marine vessel developer whose flagship product shares the same name and looks to stand out as a luxury option for both private owners and rental operators. Per the company website:
While there have been other versions of hot tub boats on the market over the years, nothing comes close to matching the experience of a Spacruzzi. From the attention to detail, luxury finishes and patent pending features to the outstanding build quality and ease of ownership – we have set out to create the most sought after experience on the water. We built Spacruzzi to provide an unforgettable experience to the end user while giving rental operators and entrepeneuers an exciting new offering to build and grow their business and it is our mission to enable this industry to thrive.
Each electric boat is designed, fabricated, and assembled by hand at Spacruzzi’s facilities in Polson, Montana. They arrive fully compliant for anyone and everyone to operate and deliver mobility technology that exceeds environmental regulations.
A previous version of the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat appeared on the FOX game show Snake Oil, and several were put into rental operations on the Chicago River—available even during some of the colder months.
Recently, Spacruzzi introduced an updated version of its electric hot-tub boat featuring a more luxurious look and feel. Additionally, a select few can put a deposit down to secure one for themselves this year.
Spacruzzi introduces upgrades to its 2025 hot tub boat
The images above show the updated version of Spacruzzi’s electric hot tub boat. This model is 15.6 feet long and 8.2 feet wide, with a draft of only 2.75 feet, enabling it to navigate shallow waters. When on the water, the Spacruzzi electric hot tub boat offers room for 6 passengers and weighs about 4,500 pounds at max capacity, alongside 400 gallons of water in the tub itself, which can be heated to up to 104℉.
The hot tub boat is propelled by a 3.0 Torqeedo electric motor pod that delivers approximately 3-5 horsepower, translating to 4-5 mph speeds on the water. A USCG-compliant propane heater supports the vessel’s hot tub operations, and two compartments aft of the vessel offer room for up to four lithium battery packs capable of powering the motor, heater, and internal water treatment system for up to 16 hours.
Each boat includes one battery pack that can deliver between four and five hours of running time on a single charge. Each boat also has AC charging capabilities, but Spacruzzi can add fast charging for an additional fee. Speaking of fees, Spacruzzi shared that it has opened its waitlist for its 2025 hot tub boat production schedule.
Interested individuals or businesses can secure an electric hot tub boat build with a $2,500 non-refundable deposit. When Spacruzzi is ready to assemble your vessel, it requires a 50% deposit minus the $2,500 waitlist deposit. The final 50% payment is due when the order is complete; it will be shipped to your specified destination. Spacruzzi says builds take about 90-100 days after receiving the 50% production deposit. Per Spacruzzi, the base price of its updated boat is $68,500.
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Ford is investing billions in Europe as it struggles to keep pace with the wave of Chinese and other low-cost EVs hitting the market. With another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in funding, Ford looks to turn things around, but it’s also calling on lawmakers to do more.
Ford injects billions in Europe to fight Chinese EVs
With “significant losses” over the past few years, Ford is restructuring its business in Europe as it aims to cut costs and simplify operations.
Back in November, the American automaker said it planned to cut another 4,000 jobs in Europe by 2027, blaming “lower-than-expected” demand and mounting pressure from new EVs entering the market, including Chinese brands like BYD and SAIC’s MG.
Ford announced plans to invest another 4.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) on Monday to support its transformation. The funds will be used to reduce the growing debt at its German subsidiary, Ford-werke GmbH.
In a statement, the company said the new capital injection will help reduce debt at Ford plants in Germany and fund a multi-year business plan. Ford’s German unit has about 5.8 billion euros ($6.3 billion) of debt.
Ford Motor Company’s vice chairman, John Lawler, explained, “With the new capital for our German subsidiary, we are driving the transformation of our business in Europe and strengthening our competitiveness with a new product range.”
Lawler stressed the need to “simplify our structures, reduce costs and increase efficiency” if it wants to compete. He added that Europe needs “a clear political agenda” to promote EV adoption that aligns with consumer demand.
Over the past few years, Ford has invested heavily in Europe to better compete, including $2 billion to upgrade its Cologne manufacturing plant to produce EVs.
The plant builds two models, Ford’s electric Explorer and Capri. Although Ford revealed its fourth EV for Europe (including the Mustang Mach-E) in December, the Puma Gen-E is being built in Romania.
Electrek’s Take
Can Ford spark life back into its European business? It’s not the only one struggling to keep up with new competition, Volkswagen is also cutting jobs in its home market and is even considering closing plants.
Legacy automakers, like Ford and Volkswagen, have been caught off guard by Chinese EV leaders like BYD’s aggressive expansion overseas to drive growth.
According to Jato Dynamics, Chinese brands are quickly gaining traction in Europe. In January 2025, 37,134 Chinese vehicles were registered, a 52% increase from the previous year. During the same time, Chinese brands’ market share grew from 2.4% to 3.7%. Combined, it would now put them ahead of Ford.
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