Key Points
- The Opposition has revealed where it plans to build seven nuclear power sites if it is elected.
- Liberal leader Peter Dutton could not cost the policy but said it would be a "big bill".
- The federal government has criticised the proposal as "economic madness", stating it would drive up power prices.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has unveiled seven proposed nuclear power sites as part of what he says is a "cheaper" alternative energy policy.
Liberal and National members met on Wednesday morning, after the details of the energy policy were signed off by the shadow cabinet overnight.
"I want to make sure that the Australian public understand today that we have a vision for our country to deliver cleaner electricity and consistent electricity," Dutton told reporters afterwards.
He said the seven nuclear reactors would be built on the sites of retired coal-fired power stations.
The Opposition has confirmed the sites will be at Tarong and Callide in Queensland, Liddell and Mount Piper in NSW, Port Augusta in South Australia, Loy Yang in Victoria and Muja in Western Australia.
The first reactor would be ready by 2035 under the plan, five years faster than the CSIRO says nuclear could be built in Australia, and would be owned by the Commonwealth.
"No other country in the world can keep the lights on 24/7 with the renewables-only policy," he said.
Peter Dutton did not answer questions about the costs of the policy, but said the plan would require "a big bill, there is no question". Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
Dutton did not answer questions about the costs of the policy, saying the proposal would "be a fraction of the government's cost but it will be a big bill, there is no question".
Nuclear power is currently banned in Australia.
A found it could cost as much as $17 billion and take more than 15 years to build a single nuclear power plant, with the first one operational after 2040.
The Opposition has announced the Loy Yang power station as one of its target sites, which is currently set to close in 2035. Source: AAP / Julian Smith
Climate organisations react to proposal
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie called the Opposition's plan "a clear case of radioactive greenwashing" and a "smokescreen" for its climate commitment.
"Later is too late," McKenzie said. "We need clean energy now to slash climate pollution and keep our kids safe. With no workforce, no industry and no waste facilities, nuclear is a generation away in Australia. Nuclear reactors are a dangerous delay tactic that would mean climate pollution explodes in the next two decades."
Kane Thornton, chief executive at the Clean Energy Council, said the Opposition's policy would see energy bills "skyrocket".
"Australia has no nuclear power industry, so building new reactors would take at least 20 years and cost six times more ... [it will] result in much higher power prices and risk the lights going out as coal power stations continue to close," she said.
"Only renewables firmed by storage is capable of preventing blackouts and power price spikes no family or business can afford."
Credit: SBS News
Dutton has said a rush to renewables will drive up energy costs and that nuclear is needed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The Opposition's pledge to develop an Australian nuclear industry is an alternative to Labor's renewable transition, which includes building 28,000km of transmission wires from wind and solar farms.
What has Labor said about a nuclear alternative?
The federal government has been scathing about adding nuclear into Australia's energy mix, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers labelling it "economic madness".
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australia cannot afford to go down the path of implementing nuclear power. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
"Nuclear takes longer, it costs more and it will squander Australia's unique combination of advantages."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously called it a "fantasy dreamed up to delay real action on climate change", stating the nation cannot afford to waste 15 years down a nuclear "rabbit hole".
On Wednesday morning, he denied the renewable energy transition was in trouble.
"That's not right. What we saw in the last two years as record numbers of people putting solar panels on their roofs, what we're seeing is major projects being approved and under construction," Albanese told ABC radio.
"We're seeing increased supply coming on, whether it be solar or wind or other forms of renewables, and increasingly as well with storage capacity to ensure that energy security."
"This [nuclear] is a recipe for higher energy prices, for less energy security, less job creation. This is economic madness."
Victorian Opposition, state premiers reject nuclear plans
Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto — leader of the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party — distanced himself from his federal colleagues' plans.
"We have no plans for nuclear as a state opposition," Pesutto said.
"It may well be that a future federal government initiates a national discussion on nuclear power, noting that there is a moratorium currently in place nationally."
Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto said his party branch had "no plans for nuclear". Source: AAP / Joel Carrett
Two Labor premiers in states where nuclear plants would be built have also rejected Dutton's announcement.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says he would not lift the state's ban on nuclear power production.
"We've got our ban in place," he told reporters. "If there's a constitutional way for a hypothetical Dutton government to move through the state planning powers, I'm not aware of it, but that's probably a question for him to answer."
Queensland Premier Steven Miles also objected to the plan, citing cost — saying that nuclear power was "four to six times more expensive" than alternatives — as well as environmental concerns.
"Future generations ... will need to manage dangerous radioactive nuclear waste, forever. That's what that plan means."
