Coalition’s nuclear costings defy science, economics, common sense

The Federal Coalition's nuclear costings - released today - vastly underestimate the costs, risks and delays that Queenslanders will face in any attempt to build nuclear reactors in the Sunshine State.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's so-called energy plan will leave us waiting 20 years for the first reactors to be built in Australia, at which point we'll be forced to switch off cheap, safe household solar to make room in the grid for toxic nuclear power plants to run.

This is a tactic to delay the rollout of renewables, as Queensland communities like Gladstone are turning to renewables to power the state and remain globally competitive.

Queensland Conservation Council Deputy Director Anthony Gough said

Queensland doesn't have time to entertain Peter Dutton's increasingly elaborate nuclear fantasies.

No amount of bespoke Coalition modelling is going to change the fact that nuclear is the slowest, most expensive, and most risky energy choice for Australia.

Peter Dutton is telling Australians to believe him - a politician trying to win an election - over the country's leading scientific body and the engineers who run our electricity system.

Independent energy experts, the CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator have repeatedly found that building renewable energy backed by storage is the cheapest way to replace Australia's retiring coal power stations.

Right now, renewable energy is rolling out across Queensland and powering our households and businesses.

Queensland industry is already turning to renewable energy backed by storage to remain globally competitive. Rio Tinto is tendering for firmed renewables to power their Gladstone smelter.

This nuclear fantasy is designed to delay the renewable roll out, and in doing so it could devastate regional communities if industry closes shop because they can't access the affordable clean energy they need now.

Inflexible nuclear energy is incompatible with renewable energy. We need flexible storage to firm renewables, not old technology that has to run all the time even and force us to turn off and waste cheap renewable energy.

Our research found that just building one nuclear power plant in Queensland would mean we have to switch off 45,000 rooftop solar systems every day to make room in the grid.

The Coalition's scheme to lower bills is for Australians to wait 20 years for the most expensive technology and then switch off their cheap solar when it arrives.

Commonsense Australians should reject this proposal as the fantasy and political ploy that it is.

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