Anthony Albanese says Coalition’s nuclear plan isn’t possible

Peter Dutton has pledged to deliver small modular nuclear reactors by the mid-2030s, but Anthony Albanese says it can’t be done.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Coalition’s plans to deliver nuclear energy rely on infrastructure “which can’t be built, some would say, for decades”. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Valeriu Campan

Anthony Albanese has attacked the Coalition’s plans to deliver nuclear energy, saying it is a policy that relies on infrastructure “which can’t be built, some would say, for decades”.

The Prime Minister made the comments on Sunday after The Weekend Australian revealed details of the Coalition’s net-zero energy plan, to be released before the May budget, which would see cheaper power prices offered for residents and businesses in coal communities that switched from retiring coal-fired generators to nuclear power.

Peter Dutton has pledged that, if elected, the ­Coalition could deliver the first small modular react­ors into the grid by the mid-2030s, with British manufacturer Rolls-Royce understood to be able to deliver them at an estimated $3.5bn to $5bn each.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged that, if elected, the ­Coalition could deliver the first small modular reactors into the grid by the mid-2030s. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Appleyard

Mr Albanese condemned the plan, claiming the small modular reactors to which the Opposition Leader had referred “don’t exist” commercially.

“So he’s speaking about large-scale nuclear reactors which can’t be built, some would say for decades. Even he himself is more than a decade off,” he said.

The Prime Minister echoed comments from NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sunday that nuclear energy would not be ready in time to fill the gap soon to be left by the closure of coal-fired power stations.

“We can’t afford for nothing to happen while these power stations are reaching the end of their life,” Mr Albanese said.

“We saw that happen for a ­decade. It was a wasted decade. And what we will do is make sure through renewables, with firming capacity, through batteries, through use of gas, that people can continue to have access to ­energy.

“The cheapest form of new energy is renewables, which is why there isn’t a single private sector organisation putting their hand up saying that they want to fund a nuclear reactor here in Australia.

“Peter Dutton’s policy is for nothing to happen, meanwhile for there to be in the future a real shortage of energy because nothing has happened. That’s what his recipe is for.”

Liberal frontbencher and senator for South Australia Anne Ruston said her state provided an example of the consequences “of a reckless pursuit of renewables and only renewables”.

“We are entirely reliant on the east coast, if the sun’s not shining and the wind’s not blowing,” Senator Ruston told Sky News.

She said she could understand why SA Premier Peter Malinauskas had been more receptive to the idea of ­nuclear power than his Labor colleagues in other states and federally.

“He is in a world of pain because we don’t have baseload power in South Australia,” she said.

Senator Anne Ruston. Picture: Martin Ollman

“We need to be having this conversation with Australia, ­because right now – I mean even Chris Minns, he sounded like hope was his strategy around what he was going to do for his baseload power when his coal-fired power stations go ­offline.”

Senator Ruston seized on the Albanese government’s broken promise ahead of the 2022 election to reduce power bills by $275.

“How’s that gone?” she said. “I think we need to have a ­government that’s actually prepared to have an honest conversation with the Australian public about what our energy mix is going to look like, and what it’s going to cost.

“This idea that renewable energy is the cheapest form of power completely misses the point. It is not the cheapest form of power when it comes to the people who are paying the bills.”

Australia’s recently retired energy infrastructure commissioner Andrew Dyer, meanwhile, expanded on his views on nuclear power, ­having told The Weekend Australian that a reassessment of Australia’s renewable energy rollout was needed to ensure that the right solar, wind, transmission and battery projects were being built in the right locations.

Andrew Dyer, the former Australian Energy and Infrastructure Commissioner, the middleman between the renewables industry, community and government. Picture: Alex Coppel

Speaking days after stepping down as commissioner, Mr Dyer said notwithstanding the difficulties and time constraints in starting a nuclear industry from scratch, there was merit in examining it.

“We need to start looking at it at some point and perhaps now is a good time,” said Mr Dyer, an ­engineer who has worked in the nuclear industry in the US.

“If we are going to look at it this century, we should start sooner rather than later.”

However, concerned that his position was being reported by other news outlets as indicating his support for nuclear energy to replace coal in the near future, Mr Dyer reiterated that he had “consistently said that it would take at least 20 years to put in place all of the legislation, nuclear oversight bodies, regulation, governance, permitting process, maintenance regimes and other arrangements that would need to be in place” for nuclear energy generation.