Analysts warn Australians’ annual energy bills could increase by $1,000 per year during the Coalition’s nuclear energy transition.
Peter Dutton said his government wouldn’t invest in solar or wind farms to cover the electricity shortfall caused by the closure of coal-fired plants.
Now, experts are warning that if we don’t invest in renewables in the meantime, we’ll see a significant increase in power prices over the next decade while we wait for nuclear power to come online.
Ian Lowe, emeritus professor at Griffith University’s School of Environment and Science, who spoke to The Briefing earlier this week, agreed the transition to solar would be a long time coming.
“If he really thinks that you could build a nuclear power station and have it running in ten years in Australia, I want to know what he’s smoking,” he joked.
“That’s completely at odds with any reality. Both politically, legally, environmentally and physically, it just makes no sense at all.”
He said legal hurdles would also come into play.
“The coalition government under John Howard, twenty-five years ago, legislated a prohibition of nuclear power. So it is currently not legal to propose building or operating a nuclear power station anywhere in Australia under commonwealth law… several states also have legislation prohibiting nuclear power.”
“One nuclear power station would only provide about ten per cent of our electricity needs. It’s a recipe for inaction at a time when climate change really demands urgent action.”
Dutton says we need nuclear power to secure cheap and reliable energy that doesn’t depend on the sun shining or the wind blowing.
The Government has described the plan as the “dumbest policy ever put forward by a major party”.
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