A conversation about nuclear power in Australia should be had now as coal powered stations continue to age, one expert in the field says.

Stephen Wilson, UQ Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, lead a report into nuclear energy in Australia, and said work needs to be done now to prepare for the possibility.

It comes amid an ongoing debate about how Australia can lower energy prices.

“What we said in the report on the study that UQ published .. is that this is not something that we do overnight, this is something that takes time to prepare for.

“The opportunity now is in front of us, because the old coal plants will have to retire, they have started to retire, the question is what do we replace them with?” he questioned.

“One of the options is nuclear. What we are saying is, the time is now to start preparing so that by the early 2030s if we decide to go that way we are ready to start building.”

Press PLAY below to hear him explain more