What you said about plan for Qld to have two nuclear power plants

Opposition leader Peter Dutton may have a plan to keep Australia’s lights on – but many aren’t sure he’s pulling the right lever. HAVE YOUR SAY

Opposition leader Peter Dutton may have a plan to keep Australia’s lights on – but many aren’t sure he’s pulling the right lever.

Mr Dutton pitched seven nuclear power plants as the solution to driving down energy prices with a mix of renewables and gas.

He announced the locations for the plants on Wednesday and said the Coalition’s energy plan would not require the 28,000km of new polls 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 Gladstone and Tarong in the South Burnett.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Readers were quick to jump into the debate; some claimed it was about time, others insisted it is doomed to fail and there are better options,

See what you had to say and join the conversation >>>

The Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, in Europe.

WHAT YOU SAID

No thank you

Saier

Wow, the ignorance.

If nuclear power is so “clean” “cheap” and renewable then why is there so much waste? What’s going to happen in the long run?

Coral

I personally think we need to listen to the science. Emissions need to be reduced now, not in ten plus year time.

Steve

no no no, the environmental impacts far outweigh the benefits of this plan

Frank

Callie Power Station had a unit blow up in recent times. If that had been nuclear, the town of Biloela, many farms and valuable farming land in this region would now be exclusion zones.

Bob

Where’s the waste being stored?

martin

If anyone honestly thinks these things will be built on budget and on time, cast your minds back to Snowy2.0 was supposed to be $2 billion, now $12 billion and now 7 years late.

Paul

It’s about time we have an opposition leader who stands up for what is right rather than appeasing the vocal minorities. Imagine how good the country’s leadership would be if he were PM.

It’s still a mess

Helen

No costings, no clue, typical LNP and Dutton spin!

Ted

Mr Crisafulli the point is for government to get out of the way. If nuclear is safe, affordable and profitable business will build it. The discussion needs to move into the 21st century and modern technology which has moved a long way from Long Island or Chernobyl.

Peter

Electricity in Australia is a necessity. Why does it depend on who is elected?

MichelleW40

So where is the waste going to go? I live not far from Tarong and DO NOT support this!! They clearly don’t remember what’s happened with other nuclear power plants in other countries in the past.

JOAN

As long as Labor isn’t responsible for ANY aspect of the construction and delivery otherwise it will blow out to at least twice the original cost and take twice as long due to industrial stoppages.

Jim Carner

Nuclear power plants cannot be built under current Federal and State laws and regulations! Omg, how stupid is Dutton?

Callide Power Station. Photo: Steve Vit.

Love it!

Hugh

Best news in ages. About time. Someone commented that the Gov shouldn’t build and own the nuclear plants but the renewables are being subsidised and only work, when they are working, for a third of the time; are a monstrosity on the landscape. Nuclear works 24/7 and will use the already established transmission lines.

Terry

Fantastic news finally some clear thinking on energy!

lindsay

The billionaires are all in, investing in solar, wind etc. They don’t want nuclear as they won’t make yet more money from it. Nuclear is the only way to deliver clean, reliable baseload power. Bring it on, – and let’s also save millions of hectares of land from being denigrated by solar and wind eyesores. Our wildlife will thank us to

Andrew

Absolutely awesome. Common sense

Christopher

Scrap the Brisbane stadium projects and instead build these generators.

Concerned

should have been done 10 years ago. equivalent cost to renewable and longer lasting. finally catching up with the rest of the world.

Originally published as What you said about plan for Qld to have two nuclear power plants