Brookfield Target Origin Says Australia Should Consider Nuclear

Australia should consider lifting a ban on nuclear power as it rushes to replace retiring coal plants with clean energy, according to Origin Energy Ltd., a utility set to be acquired by Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management in a multibillion-dollar deal.

Investment in renewables isn’t happening fast enough to meet government targets and nuclear, along with natural gas, should be “part of the debate,” Origin Chief Executive Officer Frank Calabria said Thursday in an interview.

“There has been quite a bit of development in small modular reactor technology, and they look encouraging,” Calabria said, adding that community concerns about safety would ...