A former Soviet scientist who witnessed one of history's worst nuclear disasters has called on Australia to embrace nuclear power.

Key points: A former Soviet scientist who witnessed the Chernobyl disaster unfold says a clean energy future for Australia is impossible without nuclear power

A former Soviet scientist who witnessed the Chernobyl disaster unfold says a clean energy future for Australia is impossible without nuclear power Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld now works in the field of medical radiation at the University of Wollongong

Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld now works in the field of medical radiation at the University of Wollongong Amid passionate views on both sides of the issue, a parliamentary inquiry last year recommended a partial lifting of the moratorium on nuclear power plants

Anatoly Rozenfeld visited the Chernobyl nuclear power plant more than 50 times in the three years following the 1986 nuclear meltdown.

The malfunction of a reactor triggered a mass release of radioactive material into the atmosphere — the extent of the fallout is still being assessed more than 30 years later.

Despite witnessing the disaster's devastating impacts, Professor Rozenfeld said he was confident there was a place for nuclear power in Australia's future energy mix.

"It's impossible to avoid nuclear power in the future because of the reliability of modern reactors," he said.

Anatoly Rozenfeld remains a strong supporter of nuclear energy. ( Supplied: University of Wollongong )

Vast improvements in nuclear technology since Chernobyl, he said, have made it one of the most stable sources of energy.

"Nuclear energy is very reliable, and with modern reactors there's a very low probability of accidents," Professor Rozenfeld said.

"Most reactors designed in France and the United States are very stable; if you look at France, where they have so many reactors, they've never had any problems."

Impossible to forget

Since moving to Australia, Professor Rozenfeld entered the field of medical radiation, establishing the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics at the University of Wollongong (UOW).

But it was his work developing technology to measure levels of radiation in the Soviet Union that took him to the epicentre of the Chernobyl disaster.

"I was part of a research team in Kiev at the time and we were very dedicated to helping everyone and making sure the reactor was fixed as soon as possible," he said.

"I worked there for several years, sometimes in Chernobyl and sometimes in Kiev — it was impossible to forget.

"We were a lot like liquidators, applying our innovative technology to understand what happens when a reactor breaks."

His work in dosimetry — the measuring of ionising radiation — was critical in allowing clean-up crews to work safely at ground zero.

"With our equipment we could measure the level of radiation and understand when it's safe to work and what time to work to avoid over-exposure," Professor Rozenfeld said.

"There were thousands of people working there who were exposed much more than me wearing little more than a coat, which doesn't provide any protection against radiation."

Dozens of scientists helped in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster. ( Supplied: Igor Kostin )

The nuclear question

A nuclear power station has never been built in Australia, and their construction has been banned since the Howard government introduced a moratorium in 1998.

Last year, Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor commissioned the first inquiry into nuclear power in more than a decade, to consider the "economic, environmental and safety implications of nuclear power".

Angus Taylor is the minister responsible for national energy policy. ( ABC: Marco Catalano )

The House Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy delivered its findings in December, acknowledging passionate views on both sides of the debate, yet recommending a partial lifting of the moratorium.

It also suggested assessing a new generation of nuclear reactors and examining their feasibility and suitability to Australia.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency said the rise of renewable energy alternatives made nuclear energy a less-attractive option.

It said a lack of investment in nuclear technology meant Australia would be beginning from a standing start.

"It costs a lot of money and takes a long time to build, and it takes a lot of money to decommission, and then you have to deal with a nuclear waste issue," AREA chairman Martijn Wilder told ABC's Q&A program.

"At the end of the day, will an investor invest in nuclear? I think, in this country, probably no."

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Jacopo Buongiorno, the director of the Centre for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems at MIT, said it did not have to be an either-or decision.

He backed the findings of the parliamentary inquiry that recommended a cautious approach to investigating next-generation nuclear technologies.

"Renewables and nuclear are not competitors — they're strongly synergistic," Professor Buongiorno told RN Breakfast.

"What our studies show is that if you are trying to minimise the overall cost of decarbonisation from where we are now to where we need to be ... then the optimal mix is solar, wind, hydro and nuclear.

"Nuclear, being controlled and dispatchable, allows you to cope with the variability of renewables. All the studies we've done indicate having some nuclear in the mix is a good thing."

It is a sentiment echoed by Professor Rozenfeld, who claimed there was no reason why all viable energy technologies could not be included in the national power supply.

"There's nothing wrong with using all types of energy, and nuclear can be complementary — nothing should be excluded from the current available sources of energy."