Turnbull pushes pumped hydro, even if Australia goes nuclear

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged governments and industry to step up the pace of delivering pumped hydro projects, even if Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is successful in his bid to introduce nuclear power to Australia.

Speaking virtually from Sydney to an energy conference in Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon, Turnbull said pumped hydro’s storage potential should form a vital part of any future energy mix.

Turnbull, who now serves as president of the International Hydropower Association, noted nuclear power would feature in the upcoming federal election.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing via videolink at the ‘Pumped Storage: Powering Australia’s Energy Future’ conference in Brisbane.Credit: Cameron Atfield

Dutton, who served in Turnbull’s cabinet, will take a $331 billion plan to build seven nuclear power plants to the election – a plan critics claimed would increase Australians’ power bills.

“Most people in the energy sector are deeply sceptical about it, not because we have any doubts about the reality of nuclear generation, but the economics of it in Australia seem pretty challenging,” Turnbull told the conference.

“But I may simply note that most of the pumped hydro projects currently operating in the world are actually built to support nuclear power, because nuclear power plants cannot ramp up and down readily, and they certainly can’t be turned on and off like a gas peaker.

The old Kidston gold mine, 280km south-west of Cairns, is being turned into a pumped hydro project by Genex.Credit: Brian Cassey

“Many of these pumped hydro projects in the northern hemisphere were built to support nuclear power stations, and they would use the surplus generation at night, typically, to pump water to the upper reservoir and then use the hydro plant as a peaking plant to operate during the day.

“Whether nuclear power is a reality for Australia or not – and, as I say, most people are pretty sceptical about it – if it ever were to come here, it would simply underline even more the case for pumped hydro.”

One of the first acts of David Crisafulli’s LNP government was to halt progress on Labor’s plan for the Pioneer Burdekin pumped hydro project.

At a Property Council breakfast on Tuesday, Queensland Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki said the government had no option but to cancel the $36.8 billion project.

“That would be a long-term drag on our balance sheet,” he said, without expanding on the LNP’s promise of smaller pumped hydro projects.

“We are seeking to de-risk some of that investment into renewable energy, and that project simply could not be progressed in the circumstances.”

Janetzki, who was previously scheduled to speak at the energy conference, is due to address the Queensland Energy Club next week.

During times of adequate sunlight, pumped hydro can use solar energy to not only add power to the grid, but also pump water from one dam to a second, more elevated, dam.

At times of peak demand or of no sunlight, water can be released through turbines into the lower dam, generating electricity.

“Pumped hydro is one of the oldest and most mature technologies available,” Turnbull said.

“It is a giant water battery and ... is by far the largest storage means, or medium, of electricity in the world today.”

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