Dutton announces seven sites for nuclear plants

TENS of thousands of Australians in five states could be living near nuclear power plants if the Coalition wins the next federal election, but Anglesea residents will not be among them.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has unveiled details of his much-anticipated nuclear energy policy, which will put nuclear power plants in Australia’s former fossil fuel heartlands.

A Coalition government will attempt to build a total of seven plants at existing coal-fired power stations, with the assets owned by the Commonwealth.

This includes Loy Yang Power Station in Victoria’s Gippsland area, Callide and Tarong in Queensland, Port Augusta in South Australia, Collie in West Australia, Mount Piper at Lithgow in central west NSW and Liddell in NSW’s Hunter region.

Despite earlier suggestions, the site of the former coal mine in Anglesea was not in the list of seven plants.

“We want to utilise the existing assets that we’ve got, and the poles and wires that are used at the moment on the coal-fired power station sites… to distribute the energy generated from the latest generation nuclear reactors,” Mr Dutton told reporters in Sydney today (Wednesday, June 19).

“We have the ability to do that in a way that renewables can’t.”

Mr Dutton did not reveal how much the Coalition’s nuclear plan would cost but said it would be cheaper than the Albanese Government’s transition plan, which he claimed would cost between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion.

“Our proposal will cost a fraction of that, we will have more to say in relation to the cost in due course and as you know we’ve done this in a step-by-step process.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed the plan and says it overlooks Australia’s renewable energy potential.

“It’ll be a taxpayer-funded nuclear fantasy,” he told ABC Radio.

“Here in Australia, we have the best solar resources in the world.

“This makes no economic sense, as well as leaving us in a position of energy insecurity because of the time that it will take to roll out a nuclear reactor.”

 – WITH AAP