The Coalition will continue investing in large-scale renewables alongside its nuclear approach as it looks to hit net-zero emissions by 2050, shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien has said.
Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister Ted O’Brien discusses the energy capacity of nuclear power.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton revealed the Coalition’s nuclear policy in a media conference on Wednesday, including the seven proposed locations for the nuclear power plants.
“We would have by 2035, the first electricity coming on to the Australian grid from small modular reactors or two years after if they were the modern larger plants,” Mr O’Brien told Sky News Australia.
“If it were small modular reactors, and you’re talking about two plants, you could see up to 1.8 gigawatts of capacity.
“If they were larger plants, it’s far more than that.”
Mr O’Brien’s admission comes days after Liberal leader Peter Dutton finally announced the hotly anticipated locations for the party’s nuclear power sites if it wins at the next election.
Mr Dutton pitched the announcement as a plan which could “underpin a century of economic growth” while also providing jobs for the communities where the plants would be located.
Questioning the opposition’s energy plan with Mr O’Brien, Sky News’ Tom Connell asked if the Coalition would still need to build more large-scale renewable projects in the future.
“We need more renewables, more gas and as coal exits the system, we’re going to have to introduce zero emissions nuclear energy,” Mr O’Brien said.
Pressed on if the Coalition would need to construct more large-scale renewables, the shadow minister confirmed the nuclear-bound party would.
“We will absolutely still need to be building some of the industrial scale renewables,” he said.
“We’ll also be needing more rooftop solar, but there’s no doubt, when it comes to the industrial scale renewables, one of the benefits of having zero emissions nuclear in the mix is you need far fewer of them.
“That also means we do not need up to 28,000km of transmission lines carpeting regional Australia, which is Labor’s plan.
“That’s one of the benefits if we can leverage existing infrastructure.”
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Mr O’Brien continued to argue the Coalition’s nuclear approach to net-zero would put more money in everyday Aussies’ pockets.
Nuclear energy, he claimed, would provide cheaper and more reliable power for both Aussie households and businesses.
“One of the big benefits for all Australians, whether it be small businesses or households, is (nuclear provides) cheaper, cleaner and consistent 24/7 power,” he said.
The Coalition is still yet to provide the costings for its nuclear plan, however Mr Dutton told The Today Show Aussies on Friday morning he believed Australians would not be disappointed by the figures.
“I think people will be pleasantly surprised,” Mr Dutton told the Today show on Friday.
“It’s a lot of money, there’s no question about that, but this is an investment for 80 years.”
The Coalition’s nuclear announcement spurred Labor to launch a “special campaigning fund” to fuel an anti-nuclear fake news blitz as it begged members for cash to finance the move.
In a newsletter briefing emailed to Labor’s membership database, ALP National Secretary Paul Erickson labelled the Coalition’s nuclear policy a “scam” and revealed it had launched a “special” fund to finance a fear campaign against the proposal.
Sky News host Erin Molan has slammed the Labor government’s nuclear energy scare campaign and called it “petty” and “embarrassing”.
“It is offensive to every sensible Australian,” she said.
“It’s basically telling us that we aren’t worthy of a legitimate debate over a source of energy that is being used effectively around the world in many advanced economies.”
The letter is filled with hyperbole describing nuclear reactors as dangerous and “risky” and ironically calls the Coalition’s policy “fear mongering” against renewables.
“Experts agree nuclear is too expensive, too slow to build and too risky – in fact the CSIRO estimates that the cost of a single nuclear power plant is as high as $16 billion,” Mr Erickson said in the email.
“We can’t take anything for granted in this debate – Peter Dutton will go straight to the Tony Abbott playbook and lie with a straight face every day.
“That’s why we’ve set up a special campaigning fund where 100 per cent of donations will be going towards our campaign to expose Dutton’s nuclear scam.”