Energy Minister Chris Bowen challenges the Coalition to reveal its nuclear costings

The Coalition has proposed using nuclear energy to replace coal, but federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has challenged it to release a detailed plan.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has challenged the opposition to reveal how much it would cost to use nuclear energy to replace in coal.

And Mr Bowen said the debate was akin to a resumption of the energy wars and was detrimental to energy transition.

In comments designed to counter evidence that the Coalition’s proposal to use nuclear energy to help accelerate the transition away from coal, Mr Bowen said Opposition Leader Peter Dutton should reveal how much nuclear power would be used.

“Nuclear is too slow, too expensive, too out of sync with the competitive advantages in Australia,” Mr Bowen told The Australian Financial Review Energy & Climate Summit.

“They have said that, over time, the costs will come down. OK, well show us what your costings are then.”

Labor’s continued rejection of nuclear energy on Monday come into question by a former senior US government official.

The government, citing analysis from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), said nuclear power would cost approximately $6896 per kilowatt hour, and replacing coal like-for-like would cost $387bn.

But Westinghouse senior vice-president Rita Baranwal – a former assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the US Department of Energy – said the figures were incorrect and misleading.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Ms Baranwal said Westinghouse’s own small modular reactor cost about US$1bn ($1.58bn) for a 300MW facility, which would be used to supplement renewable energy as a baseload generator.

Mr Bowen poured scorn on those figures. “If they think they can deliver a nuclear power station for a billion dollars, throw in the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge,” Mr Bowen said. “I don’t see that as being realistic.”

The debate about the potential role of nuclear power generation comes as Australia struggles to accelerate its transition away from coal-fired energy production.

Australia has legislated having renewable energy generate more than 80 per cent of the country’s electricity by 2030, a target that it is struggling to meet.

The country’s energy industry is particularly concerned about Australia’s so-called firming capacity – generation which can be dispatched when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.

Gas could be used but the fuel source is unpopular among some voters and efforts to establish new supplies have proven difficult to secure regulatory licences and overcome local opposition. Developments have also suffered a spate of legal challenges.

Australian states and the federal government have moved to prioritise batteries and pumped hydro which can be used to prop up renewables, which will require substantial investment.

Mr Bowen accused the Coalition of muddling the investment landscape with its proposal for nuclear power.

“Lifting the ban on nuclear energy in Australia, sending mixed signals from the Government about the role of renewables and nuclear in Australia would run the real risk of chilling investment in the firmed renewable energy we need to keep the lights and get emissions down across our country,” Mr Bowen said.

Originally published as Energy Minister Chris Bowen challenges the Coalition to reveal its nuclear costings