Five Reasons Nuclear Energy is Not Worth the Risk

The Federal Coalition is proposing to build two large nuclear reactors in Queensland at Tarong and Callide, but there are several reasons why this is a political ploy, and not a genuine solution for powering the Sunshine State. 

Australia's main grid is already running on 40% renewable energy and heavy industry, like Rio Tinto, are investing in renewable energy to sustainably power their operations and keep being globally competitive. Nuclear is a dangerous distraction designed to derail the roll out of renewable energy and keep us reliant on fossil fuels.

1. Nuclear is not a climate solution for Australia.

The Federal Coalition’s half-baked nuclear scheme is really a ploy to keep our ageing and polluting coal-fired power stations operating for longer. Their own modelling shows this is a plan to cap renewable energy at 54% and stop building solar and wind farms from next year. 

This is a critical decade for taking action on climate change, which means we are running out of time to transition our electricity system away from polluting fossil fuels. This is an urgent problem, so we need an urgent solution. 

Experts suggest that it would take at least 15 years, but most likely 20+, to build a nuclear power station in Australia because we'd have to build a whole new industry from scratch. That includes delivering new technical and regulatory standards, training a new workforce, and establishing a whole supply, logistics and waste management chain that doesn’t exist in Australia. We cannot afford to delay climate action when our communities are already dealing with more extreme and frequent weather events now.

What's more, Australia’s coal power stations are ageing and many are set to retire over the next 5 - 10 years. We need new electricity generation to come online before then to keep the lights on. If we delay the roll out of renewable energy backed by storage the reliability of our electricity system will be at risk.

2. High-level nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years. 

Radioactive nuclear waste is a burden that lasts for tens of thousands of years and nowhere in the world has a long-term storage solution for high-level nuclear waste.

As no long-term storage options exist, the most dangerous radioactive waste is usually stored on site at nuclear reactors. Regional communities shouldn’t be left with a radioactive waste problem.

3. CSIRO modelling shows nuclear is 2-4 times more expensive than building renewable energy backed by storage.

Nuclear energy is the most expensive form of electricity generation to build, whereas solar, wind backed by storage is the cheapest. This is consistently shown in reports by the CSIROA report by the The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that household power bills would need to rise by around $665 per year for nuclear power plants to recover their costs.

Australia is in the midst of a cost of living crisis. The last thing we should be doing to bring down electricity bills for vulnerable Australians is build the most expensive form of electricity to replace Australia's retiring coal generators.  

4. Nuclear is a water guzzler.

A new report shows that nuclear power stations use up to 83% more water than coal power stations. In a drought-prone state such as Queensland, this raises real questions about where the water will come from and if local nuclear reactors will threaten Queensland's water security. 

For example, the Federal Coalition's proposed Tarong nuclear reactor would need to access Wivenhoe Dam as an emergency reserve, which is the main water supply for the Brisbane and Greater Ipswich area.

5. A staggering 45,000 solar systems would need to be switched off just make room for one nuclear reactor in Queensland's grid.

Queenslanders are the world leaders in the uptake of rooftop solar. We have abundant sunshine in Queensland and millions of Queenslanders have made the solar switch to slash their bills and pollution. All this abundant cheap energy saturates the grid during the middle of the day and drives down wholesale electricity prices for everyone. 

Our latest report found that building just one nuclear reactor in Queensland would mean we had to switch off 45,000 solar panels every day to make room in the grid. Nuclear energy is inflexible so it needs to send electricity to the grid all the time – even when it's not needed and there are cheaper options on the table.

Nuclear is just not worth the risk.

Wasting time debating nuclear is a political ploy to delay the roll out of renewable energy – and it's consumers, communities and the environment that will have to pay the price if we delay renewables and keep open ageing and increasingly unreliable coal power stations. 

Australia is the lucky country – we have abundant renewable energy potential. We don't need to waste time debating nuclear. 

Nuclear is just not worth the risk. The risk of cost and timeline blowouts. The risks of toxic waste and contamination. Don't risk it. 

Media Contact

Ellie McLachlan, Media Manager, 0407 753 830