WANNON MP, Dan Tehan has backed his party’s policy for nuclear power and said it would ensure western Victorian manufacturers would have a secure supply of energy in the future.
He said Australia needed to follow the lead of other countries and invest in nuclear energy.
“The Coalition believes we have to move over time from a renewables, gas and coal mix for our future energy, to a renewables, gas and nuclear mix,” Mr Tehan said.
“The Coalition have announced seven nuclear power sites, each located at a power station that is either scheduled to close or has closed.
“Each of these locations offers important technical attributes needed for a zero-emissions nuclear plant, including cooling water capacity and transmission infrastructure.
“This means we can use the existing poles and wires, along with a local community which has a skilled workforce.
“A key advantage of modern zero-emissions nuclear plants is they can be plugged into existing grids.
“This means they can effectively replace retired or retiring coal plants and avoid much of the new spending needed for Labor’s ‘renewables-only’ system, including new transmission poles and wires. All of which will be passed on in the form of higher bills.”
Global use
Mr Tehan said he believed, along with his Coalition colleagues that Australia needed to follow the lead of other countries and invest in nuclear energy.
“No country in the world relies solely on solar and wind as Labor is proposing,” he said.
“By contrast, there are 32 countries operating zero-emissions nuclear plants.
“Another 50 countries are looking to do so.
“Of the world’s 20 largest economies, Australia is the only one not using nuclear energy, or moving towards using it.
“As for other countries, the Coalition believes Australia must have a balanced energy mix to deliver cheaper, cleaner and consistent 24/7 electricity.
“90 per cent of baseload electricity, predominantly coal fired power stations, is coming to the end of life over the next decade. Nuclear energy for Australia is an idea whose time has come.”
Is it safe?
Contrary to what some commentators are spruiking about the danger nuclear presents to the community, Mr Tehan said modern nuclear plants with the latest technology are incredibly safe.
“Many Australians would be surprised to learn that there are more than 400 reactors operating worldwide today,” he said.
“Just as the cars people drive off the showroom floor today are superior and safer to those they drove off the showroom floor in the 1980s, it’s the same for the latest nuclear technologies today which are superior and safer compared to those produced decades ago.
“Zero-emissions nuclear has proven to be one of the world’s safest forms of energy, due in large part to its successful management of waste.
“In fact, it’s ranked the world’s second safest form of energy generation - even safer than wind and hydro power.
“The technology is safe enough for our international partners such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France.
“The technology is safe enough for Australian Defence Force personnel who will shortly be operating nuclear propelled submarines under the AUKUS agreement.
“The technology is safe enough for residents near Lucas Heights in Sydney, who have lived and worked around an operating reactor since 1958.
Cost
As to the expense, Mr Tehan said the Coalition disagreed with the capital cost assumptions that CSIRO have made for SMRs.
“The CSIRO have only considered a single technology which is widely understood to be expensive compared to other SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technologies,” he said.
“So, their assumptions don’t survive any real investigation.
“The Coalition will announce further details about the costs of its nuclear energy plan in due course.
“What we know though is that zero-emissions nuclear energy gets prices down across the world while reducing emissions at pace.
“That’s why 30 countries already have nuclear in their mix, and they want more, and another 50 are looking to introduce nuclear for the very first time.
“Australians are currently paying some of the most expensive electricity prices in the world - up to 56 cents a kilowatt-hour (South Australia, Default Market Offer).
“In Ontario, Canada, where nuclear constitutes around 60 per cent of its energy mix, households are paying just 14c kWh - around four times less than Australian households.
“In the US State of Tennessee which has over 44 per cent nuclear in its mix, households are paying just 18c kWh - around three times less than Australian households.
State prohibition laws
However, in response, the Victorian Climate Action, Energy and Resources, and State Electricity Commission minister, Lily D’Ambrosio ruled out her government overturning Victoria’s prohibition laws on nuclear.
Instead, she said her government would continue to deliver renewable energy projects in Victoria to reduce emissions and protect the environment “and of course reducing people’s energy bills”.
She said the only thing the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Latrobe Valley would do was send “energy bills skyrocketing and produce toxic nuclear waste to be stored or dumped who knows where”.
Mr Tehan stressed that before any nuclear power station was to be constructed, there must be thorough community consultation, and updated Commonwealth regulatory changes.
“In the latter stages, state regulatory regimes will be considered, and the Coalition stands ready to consult with and work with state governments as part of this process,” he said.
“But constitutional law experts said the federal government could override state bans.”
The seven locations touted for nuclear power stations were as follows:
• Tarong, Queensland
• Callide, Queensland
• Mount Piper, New South Wales
• Liddell, New South Wales
• Collie, Western Australia
• Port Augusta, South Australia
• Loy Yang, Victoria