Two nuclear power plants for regional Qld under Coalition proposal, slammed by Premier

Premier Steven Miles has slammed the Federal Coalition’s nuclear plan for Queensland, saying the state will bear the brunt of the cost for generations. VOTE IN OUR POLL

• Opinion: Why Dutton’s play is risky

Premier Steven Miles has slammed the Federal Coalition’s nuclear plan for Queensland, saying power plants are four to six times more expensive than pumped hydro.

Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton has pitched seven nuclear power plants, including two in Queensland, as the solution to Australia keeping the lights on and driving down energy prices with a mix of renewables and gas.

Mr Dutton on Wednesday announced the locations for the plants and said the Coalition’s energy plan would not require the 28,000km of new poles and wires needed to connect renewables to the grid.

“We’ve been very clear about the fact that we don’t believe in that model,” he said.

Mr Dutton aims to have two plants completed by 2037. The two sites in Queensland are Callide near Biloela and Tarong in the South Burnett.

Federal Liberal and Nationals MPs met virtually for a snap party room meeting on Wednesday morning to sign off on the proposal.

Federal Leader of the LNP Peter Dutton’s social media post about the concept design of the nuclear power plant.

Mr Miles said Queenslanders would bear the brunt of expensive nuclear plants if it was pursued over his pumped hydro proposal.

“We know that nuclear reactors are four to six times more expensive,” he said.

“That means your electricity bill could go up four to six times to fund these nuclear reactors that the LNP wants to build in Queensland.

“And that is not to mention how future generations, my kids, your kids will need to manage dangerous radioactive nuclear waste forever.”

The Premiers of NSW and Victoria joined Mr Miles in denouncing the plan, but the Mayors of both Banana Shire and South Burnett have welcomed it, saying their communities had been divided over solar and wind farm prospects.

Biloela Mayor Neville Ferrier said his council had been discussing the possibility of a nuclear plant and had engaged an independent nuclear expert in anticipation of “getting landed” with a reactor.

“We’re prepared to look into it,” he said.

“If they’re (Coalition) going to override the state government, and it might not be this (election) time but it could be next time, before we go one way or the other, we need to make sure it’s safe for the community.”

Both Mr Ferrier and South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff said their communities were concerned about job transition for the retiring plants, noting solar and wind options offered less employment.

South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff.

Banana Shire Mayor Neville Ferrier.

Treasurer Cameron Dick also argued that nuclear investments could blowout by the billions.

“The cost of (England’s) Hinkley Point and Hinkley Point C has exploded over time, it’s gone from about £9bn to £35bn, which is about $90bn Australian dollars,” Mr Dick said.

“Even if it was less than that, it’s still a phenomenal amount of money to put into nuclear power.”

Mr Dick said Queensland simply didn’t have the time to invest in nuclear energy. But it’s going to take 20 years to build it. And we don’t have that time or that money to deliver the future of energy for Queensland.”

Multiple Coalition MPs said the other proposed former coal-fired power station sites for the reactors included Liddell and Mount Piper in NSW, Loy Yang in Victoria, Port Augusta in South Australia, and Collie in Western Australia.

The nuclear power stations would be owned by the federal government, similar to how energy projects like the Snowy Hydro scheme are owned.

After the meeting, Mr Dutton said he was confident the communities affected would support having a reactor in their backyard.

Mr Dutton said he expected a fear campaign from Labor, but he wanted a “mature conversation” in Australia about nuclear.

“The fact is that in these communities, people in some cases for generations have worked in these coal mines or within the coal fired power stations or they’re a boilermaker or their electrician and they’ve worked in and around these sites for their whole life,” he said.

“When you speak to a lot of those people, they’re instantly supportive of this proposal, because it gives a decade’s worth of economic investment into that community.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton during a joint press conference with Angus Taylor, Susan Ley, David Littleproud and Ted O’Brien in Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce, said he welcomed his leader’s plan to put a nuclear power plant in his electorate, saying 250 jobs would be lost if the Callide Power Station were to close without being replaced.

“The Coalition supports nuclear as part of the energy mix as we move toward

delivering cheaper energy that does not compromise agricultural land, and the environment,” he said.

“This will provide jobs and opportunities to the Biloela community while also providing 24/7

reliable baseload power for Central Queensland.”

Mr Dutton said he believed Australia was able to talk about nuclear now because the conversation had already been started by the AUKUS submarine deal, and also as technology had improved significantly in the last 50 years.

Asked about the waste produced by the seven proposed nuclear plants, Mr Dutton said each would produce a volume equivalent to the size of a “can of coke,” which would be stored on the site of the reactor while it operated and then likely kept on Defence land.

Mr Dutton also dismissed suggestions he would struggle to get state governments to agree to lift nuclear bans, saying he would “negotiate” with them in the future.

Callide Power Station. Photo: Steve Vit.

Despite strong support for nuclear among Queensland LNP members, several MPs have privately expressed concern that the Coalition has run out of time to properly “bring the electorate along” before the federal election – which could be called by Labor from August until May next year.

Nationals leader David Littleproud described it as a “proud day” to be handing down what he said was a “vision for regional Australia”.

“Under a Coalition government we will change not only the culture of this country, but leave a legacy for this country,” he said.

Mr Littleproud said by not rolling out solar panels, wind turbines and the transmission lines needed to connect them to the grid, Australian farmers would be left to focus on providing food security for the country.

He said it would be “one of the biggest investments of any federal government in a regional Australian town, ever”.

Nationals leader David Littleproud. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Mr Littleproud said farmers did not need to be concerned about the water required to run nuclear plants, as the chosen locations already had an allocation of the resource for coal-fired power.

“There’s already water allocations at these coal fired power sites and obviously when they shut down, they transfer to a nuclear power plant,” he said.

“So it’s all … within the existing water entitlements.”

Coalition energy and climate change spokesman Ted O’Brien said Australia was “running out of energy” under the government.

“Renewables have stalled under Labor, gas is being suffocated with a lack of supply, and we have 90 per cent of Australia’s 24/7 baseload power exiting the grid over the next decade with no chance of a replacement being ready in time,” he said.

“Labor is turning off one system before having another one ready to go.”

Mr O’Brien said the Coalition would still have an energy mix of renewables, gas and as coal fired power exits it would be replaced with nuclear.

Greens Energy Transition spokeswoman and Gladstone local Senator Penny Allman-Payne said the plan amounted to “fantasy”, calling it a distraction from the Coalition’s non-existent climate policy and Labor’s cowardice in standing up to fossil fuel corporations.

“We need to urgently move away from coal and gas, but both Labor and Liberals are opening more mines and Dutton’s nuclear pipe dream is not the answer. It would produce toxic waste, push up power prices, and endanger regional communities,’ she said.

“I live in regional Queensland and I absolutely wouldn’t want a nuclear reactor in my town, and know folks across Callide and Tarong want to see a transition to renewable energy.

“The Coalition say they care about the cost of living, yet they’re promoting nuclear energy when the CSIRO says it’s the most expensive power source and people in regional Queensland are already doing it tough. “

Anthony Albanese acknowledged that cost of living pressures are behind an increase in support for nuclear energy but said the Coalition’s plan is a “fantasy” that makes “no economic sense”.

The Prime Minister rejected the need to lift the ban on nuclear energy and let the market decide saying it had “already sorted it out”.

“We know cost of living is causing pressures for people when it comes to energy,” he told ABC radio.

“Coal-fired power plants are closing, 14 of them announced their closures under the former Coalition government, so it’s a matter of whether the rollout of renewables with solar continues in order to secure energy supply or whether we just stop that.”

The Coalition has not calculated the cost of its plan to role out seven nuclear power stations in Australia, with Mr Dutton admitting it will be a “big bill” and claiming he will have “more to say” in the future.

Mr Dutton said the Coalition has done analysis on each of the proposed sites and will work with experts to determine the best nuclear technology for each region.

“It will be a big bill, there’s no question about that,” he said.

“But this is about modernising our energy system, it’s about making sure we have cheaper electricity.”

Mr Dutton said there were “limitations” on what could be decided during opposition compared to if the Coalition was in government.

He claimed the nuclear plan would still be a “fraction” of the current government’s estimated costs.

The Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton pictured speaking at a press conference at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney. Picture: Damian Shaw

One Coalition MP said there was a strong feeling in the party room that Mr Dutton should capitalise on recent political momentum fuelled by doubts cast on Labor’s ability to achieve its target of a 43 per cent emissions cut by 2030.

However not everyone in the party room is convinced about the timing, with several MPs privately saying they felt it was a risk to announce ahead of a parliamentary sitting fortnight later this month where they would be open to government attack.

There are four coal-fired power stations in NSW, eight in Queensland, three in Victoria and three in Western Australia – which all have potential to be the sites for reactors.

In order for this to happen, a future Coalition government would have to lift Australia’s longstanding moratorium on onshore nuclear development.

The CSIRO estimates it may take until the 2040s for the first nuclear reactor to be built in Australia, which the scientific body costed at $8.5 billion. Mr Dutton has dismissed that.

“I believe very strongly that the policy that we’re putting forward means that you can utilise the existing distribution network – that is the poles and wires that distribute the energy from the point of generation, so we’re only talking about coal fired power stations,” Mr Dutton said yesterday.

State Opposition Leader David Crisafulli meanwhile confirmed he would not repeal the state’s nuclear ban if the LNP won the October election.

Asked if he would consider axing the laws if the federal Coalition had a comprehensive, sensible nuclear policy, he replied: “The answer is no”.

The Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, in Europe.

Mr Crisafulli has previously palmed off nuclear questions saying it was a matter for the federal government, but his latest comments place him firmly against the Coalition’s plan.

Nuclear energy projects are currently illegal in both Queensland and Australia.

While the Queensland LNP and Mr Crisafulli have not backed the state government’s energy targets due to their dispute over Labor’s Burdekin pumped-hydro project, Mr Crisafulli does support reducing emissions and would pursue a 75 per cent reduction by 2035.

As part of the Opposition’s election campaign, the LNP has pledged an open door policy for all types of energy projects that will lower household electricity bills for Queenslanders, but before today would not specify the cost of the plan or whether it would include nuclear power.

David Crisafulli at Parliament House on Sunday morning. Picture Lachie Millard

Mr Crisafulli said he would aim to bring all energy projects, including renewables, “on equal footing” in terms of planning and environmental requirements.

“Whether or not you looking to do an agricultural or a mining or renewable project, that the environment is important and that planning is important and it’s the same for everybody,” he said.

Pressed on whether he would allow nuclear projects into that mix if presented with a reasonable policy plan by his federal counterparts, Mr Crisafulli gave a firm “no”.

“I’ve made I’ve made my views very clear, on the contrary to contrary to some of the most childish things that I’ve seen hitting around social media from the Labor Party,” he said.

“It’s not on our plan, It’s not on our agenda, because, quite frankly, that’s a matter for Canberra.

“I can’t be distracted by it.”