News Corp papers report details of Coalition’s plans to build plants at seven existing coal plant sites using taxpayer funding – follow live
- Building nuclear power plants in Australia could cost double CSIRO predictions, energy experts warn
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Factcheck of Coalition’s case for nuclear
For those who want to know more about the nuclear debate, here is a factcheck we published in June:
It claims nuclear plants could be developed and operational by 2035 or 2037, depending on the tech used. Few experts believe this is credible. Why? Only five large-scale nuclear plants have reached construction stage in the US and western Europe this century. Four were spectacularly over time and over budget. The fifth was cancelled after A$13bn had been spent.
The CSIRO found it would take at least 15 years to develop a nuclear industry and have a generator running in Australia.
Experts say this raises questions about grid reliability as the coal plants that the Coalition wants to replace with nuclear are ageing and mostly won’t last that long. It says Peter Dutton’s pledge to slow the rollout of renewable energy and wait for nuclear plants puts the grid at risk.
