Nuclear energy is back as a topic of debate in the Liberal Party, and a former strategist is urging the opposition to seize the moment.
The nuclear debate
The Coalition is on the attack over energy, despite the many lingering questions over its gas 'reservation' policy.
The Coalition’s nuclear-energy plans have seen international firms in Australia face a flurry of client queries and lean on in-house experts overseas.
There's concern in the renewable energy sector that the Coalition's nuclear policy could send investors overseas, and some fear decisions are already starting to be delayed until after federal election.
The opposition's long awaited nuclear costings do not include financial incentives to win over state governments who oppose the plan.
Frontier Economics' Danny Price has defended his work and lashed the government for claiming there would be more economic growth in a renewables-dominated future.
Politicians should consider the problems Australia will face in the next few decades rather than just the next few years, said Craig Scroggie.
Nuclear fusion is still about 30 years away from going mainstream. Australian fusion startup HB11 has a plan to be profitable before then.
The former NSW Liberal treasurer was also critical of the federal opposition's nuclear energy plan.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he only launched a nuclear energy policy after Labor backed the AUKUS pact, which includes onshore nuclear submarine manufacturing.
New analysis suggests a typical household’s electricity bill could rise by $665 a year on average under the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan.
The energy minister has pitched the next election as a choice between “reliable renewables or risky reactors — but not both”.
Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon are likely to double their electricity needs in the next five years. Increasingly, they are looking to nuclear power.
Both sides of politics think they’re onto a winner in the nuclear power fight. But a proper debate over the technology is unlikely to see the light of day.
The ASX-listed gentailer strongly opposes the Opposition's nuclear policy, but Macquarie's utility analyst says it may hold all the cards if the Coalition wins power.
Polling on nuclear power varies wildly based on the question and how it is asked. Labor is keen to seize on that uncertainty.
The Opposition leader has announced where seven nuclear reactors would be located if the Coalition wins government. But the rest of his plan remains threadbare - and it seems intentional.
