Wollongong Greens councillor Mithra Cox said it was "one of the silliest ideas I have ever heard".

"Why on earth would we want a toxic, expensive and risky nuclear reactor on Lake Illawarra or at Fitzroy Falls when we have the most abundant, cheap and safe renewable energy resources of anywhere in the world?" Cr Cox said.

"Look at Chernobyl, at Fukushima, as Zaporizhzia - when nuclear reactors have accidents, they are catastrophic."

"Solar power is the cheapest form of electricity in human history, and wind power is fast catching up."

"And they come without the huge environmental and safety risks of uranium mining and storage or radioactive waste - something which has not been solved anywhere in the world."

Story by Ben Langford in the Illawarra Mercury, 17 August 2023.