Tony Irwin is a

nuclear engineer Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of breaking down atomic nuclei ( fission) or of combining atomic nuclei ( fusion), or with the application of other sub-atomic processes based on the principles of n ...

and technical director of Australian company, SMR Nuclear Technology. For three decades he worked commissioning and operating nuclear reactors in the UK for British Energy (formerly the Central Electricity Generating Board). He emigrated to Australia in 1999 and took a position with the

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is a statutory body of the Australian government, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern out ...

(ANSTO), where he remained for ten years. Irwin chairs the Nuclear Engineering Panel of

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...

and lectures at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

and

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

on nuclear science. Irwin has a degree in electrical power engineering.

Nuclear power advocacy

Irwin is an advocate for

nuclear power in Australia The prospect of nuclear power in Australia has been a topic of public debate since the 1950s. Australia has one nuclear plant in Lucas Heights, Sydney, but is not used to produce nuclear power, but instead is used to produce medical radioisoto ...

and has recommended the deployment of small modular reactors, provided that legislation can be changed to allow for it. In 2014 he told the media:

"Small modular reactors with their natural safety based on passive safety systems using gravity, natural circulation and pressurised tanks, represent a game-changer that is particularly suitable for Australian conditions."

He has argued in ''Mining Australia'' that climate change should lead Australia to reconsider nuclear power as an alternative to burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. He has featured in media reports on nuclear technology and provided commentary to the Australian Science Media Centre in response to the

Fukushima nuclear disaster The was a nuclear accident in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan. The proximate cause of the disaster was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which occurred on the afternoon of 11 March 2011 ...

. He has given public presentations and lectures on SMRs and nuclear power, including some at which opposing viewpoints were presented by anti-nuclear advocates such as

Ian Lowe Ian Lowe (born 3 November 1942) is an Australian academic and writer focused on environmental issues. A physics graduate, he is an Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society and former Head of the School of Science at Griffith Univ ...

. In 2011 Irwin contributed a chapter on small modular reactors to ''Australia's nuclear options'', a policy perspective document for the

Committee for Economic Development of Australia The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is a bipartisan, non-profit organisation providing thought leadership and policy perspectives on the economic and social issues affecting Australia. Its expressed aim is to "promote nat ...

Memberships

Irwin is a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and of the UK

Institution of Engineering and Technology The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution. The IET was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), dating back to 1871, and ...

, a fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, and chairman of the Nuclear Engineering Panel of the Sydney division of

. He is a member of ARPANSA's Nuclear Safety Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Tony Living people Nuclear engineers Australian engineers Year of birth missing (living people)