David Crisafulli says Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan only a debate in Canberra

Despite two reactors being slated for Queensland under Peter Dutton’s $331bn nuclear costings plan, Premier David Crisafulli says it’s a “matter for Canberra”.

Peter Dutton has outlined the federal Coalition’s plans for nuclear power in Queensland.

Premier David Crisafulli has distanced himself from Peter Dutton’s $331bn nuclear costings, insisting the plan is only a “debate in Canberra” despite two reactors being slated for Queensland.

The federal Opposition Leader outlined an ambitious and costly nuclear energy policy the Coalition will take to next year’s election, arguing it would be 44 per cent cheaper than Labor’s $600bn renewables plan.

Mr Dutton has pledged to build seven nuclear reactors at existing coal-fired power station sites across the nation.

In Queensland the Coalition has slated two “bigger technology” reactors for the Callide and Tarong Power Stations in Central Queensland.

Mr Crisafulli declined to be drawn on the merit of Mr Dutton’s proposal, but said his position against nuclear energy hasn’t changed.

The Callide Power Station near Biloela.

“Our focus is to make sure that Queenslanders’ power assets remain in public hands and actually get turned back on to drive down people’s power prices,” he said.

“There’ll be a debate in Canberra, that can be for Canberra.

“We’ve got a plan to deliver smaller, more manageable pumped hydro and that’s part of our longer term plan as well.”

Mr Crisafulli revealed he had not spoken with Mr Dutton before the release of the $331bn plan and played down suggestions the pair would eventually have to discuss it.

“We’ve got the youngest fleet of power plants in the country and they’re not working because the former government didn’t maintain them,” the Premier said.

“I’ll let you have the debate and Canberra can have the debate but my commitment is doing what I said I was going to do for people Queensland.

“In the last 12 months Queensland’s power bills went up 19.9 per cent, that’s three times the national average.”

Mr Dutton said state premiers would sign on to the Coalition’s nuclear plan if he becomes Prime Minister next year.

“I’m very confident,” he said.

Premier David Crisafulli in parliament this week. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Mr Dutton made a direct appeal to businesses and families to back his nuclear vision, urging energy uncertainty and pricing would “get much worse” if Anthony Albanese was re-elected.

The Opposition Leader, speaking in Brisbane on Friday, said introducing nuclear to the energy grid would knock prices down on energy costs.

“It will get worse and we’ve already seen the signs of blackout under the Albanese government and their zealot-like approach to renewables-only policy is going to cause a lot of grief to the country in the near term and long-term so we deliver a plan today which will get the energy mix right,” Mr Dutton said.

There was no detail on which of the Coalition’s seven proposed sites for nuclear would be developed first.

Mr Dutton provided brief detail on the mix of power plants and whether they’d be small modular reactors, which are currently being developed abroad, or larger nuclear plants.

“As we’ve said previously in South Australia and Western Australia, (there’ll be) small modular reactors, and then (elsewhere) bigger technology because you get a greater efficiency, you’ve got capacity on that distribution network and ultimately we’ll advise in relation to the best technology to deliver the lowest cost electricity at each of those sites,” he said.

The Coalition plan also relies on the demand for energy not growing as rapidly as Labor is projecting – with Mr O’Brien backing the “progressive” scenario underpinning their plan, compared to Labor’s “step-change” forecast.

“The progressive scenario is by far the more realistic one. Again I go back to Frontier Economics (who conducted the nuclear modelling), they don’t muck around. They’re absolutely straight when it comes to their advice and they have been completely supportive of this that in reality not going to need the amount of energy Labor is talking about,” he said.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen, talking after the Coalition’s announcement, attempted to punch holes in the nuclear pathway.

Energy Minister Chris Bown says the Coalition’s nuclear plans will produce less electricity for Australi. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

He said there were “fatal” errors in the plan, including that it was underpinned by modelling that Australia would have a lower energy demand, compared to what Labor has prepared for.

“The Liberal Party has just assumed that the Australian people will need less electricity in 2050 than (the Australian Energy Market Operator) has suggested would be prudent to plan for. Now … that’s pretty easy, just assume you’ll need less electricity, it will cost less to produce less electricity than it costs to produce more,” he said.

“This is a fatal error in their costings and it is a dangerous error because it is risky, it runs the risk of leaving Australians short of the energy they need.”

He also took aim at the Coalition’s modelling which dictated savings from having to build less transmission infrastructure by building nuclear power plants on existing power plant sites.

Mr Bowen said which transmission lines would be axed wasn’t outlined, with major projects like the Hume Link connecting Snowy 2.0 nearing the start of construction.

“(Peter Dutton) is a reckless leader who is a risk to Australia. Australians need cheaper power now, not more expensive power in decades to come,” he said.

“That’s a key difference which has emerged today, this is the first time we have heard from the Liberal Party, they’re actually planning to produce less electricity. It’s quite a revelation … they have cooked the books.”

Originally published as David Crisafulli says Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan only a debate in Canberra