Key details over cost of nuclear ‘effectively ready to go now’: Littleproud

The Coalition says its plan to building nuclear power stations across Australia is “ready to go”, with the cost to be revealed.

The price of building nuclear power stations around Australia should be revealed within two months, with Nationals leader David Littleproud saying details of the Opposition’s flagship energy policy are “effectively ready to go now”.

Mr Littleproud also said introducing nuclear had taken on an extra importance in the wake of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s ban on part of a new gold mine near Blayney.

The Nationals leader will tour Lithgow – where the Coalition proposes building one of its seven nuclear power plants on a current coal-fired power station site - on Monday, where he will talk to business and the community about the move.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Littleproud said he expected an announcement of the cost of building seven nuclear power plants across Australia to be revealed by November.

He said costings were “basically effectively ready to go now...so it’s just a matter of the timing of the announcement”.

“The next phase will be the broader costings, as well as what Australia’s energy mix should look like,” Mr Littleproud said.

Lithgow’s nuclear site would be built on the footprint of the current Mount Piper coal-fired power station, which employs 250 people and has been forecast to close by 2040.

The Mount Piper coal-powered station, one of the sites targeted by the Coalition for a new nuclear facility.

“This won’t only be the largest capital investment in Lithgow by a federal government, it will also be the biggest investment in jobs,” Mr Littleproud said.

He added further details to the nuclear plan would include “community packages” for the towns near power plants – which would include investment in housing, roads, parklands, and sporting grounds, guided by locals.

Mr Littleproud said new industries like nuclear had gained extra importance for regional communities in the wake of Ms Plibersek’s decision to partially block a new gold mine in Blayney, just 100km from Lithgow, using rare Indigenous heritage laws.

“(Nuclear is) giving diversification (to regional economies) – the fact we’re putting it on an existing footprint, we’re taking away a lot of that risk of not only having to get environmental, but cultural approvals,” he said.

Federal Nationals Leader David Littleproud speaks during the LNP Convention in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

“This is why it just makes sense – it gives certainty, it gives diversification, it doesn’t reach into the quagmire of approval processes.”

Mr Littleproud will tour the region with NSW Nationals MP Sam Farraway, who will run for the federal seat of Calare in a bid to win the electorate back from Independent Andrew Gee.

Mr Gee defected from the Nationals over his support for the Voice, despite the Nationals not having a mandatory stance on the proposal.

Calare will be a critical seat if the Coalition are to win government at the next election.

“If the Nationals don’t win Calare, Australia will face another three years of Anthony Albanese,” Mr Littleproud said.

Last week’s Daily Telegraph Bush Summit revealed Scott Morrison when Prime Minister had conducted polling on nuclear, with then-deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce claiming he dumped it due to a lack of community backing.

That has since changed, with the Coalition citing polling showing 63 per cent of Central West voters were open to using nuclear to power electricity needs.

Originally published as Key details over cost of nuclear ‘effectively ready to go now’: Littleproud