The Albanese government has pledged to more than double the amount of power the electricity grid sources from renewables to 82 per cent by 2030,to help achieve its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by the same deadline.
Federal parliament banned nuclear power in 1998 and the moratorium has remained in place with bipartisan support,but Dutton is calling for the deployment of small modular reactors to reduce emissions from the electricity sector,instead of renewables that require a vast array of new power lines to link wind and solar farms to the cities.
Finkel said it was highly unlikely that Australia could open a nuclear power plant before the early 2040s,pointing out the autocratic United Arab Emirates took more than 15 years to complete its first nuclear plan using established technology.
Loading
“There are a lot of very attractive things about nuclear energy for our clean energy transition. The problem is timing and cost,” Finkel said. “If we did large-scale[nuclear power],I would imagine something approaching 20 years in Australia.”
The economic viability of Australia’s ageing fleet of coal-fired power stations,which still make up two-thirds of the electricity grid,has been hammered by cheaper sources of renewable energy. Replacement power is urgently needed,with five of 15 plants due to shut within a decade and more tipped to follow.
Responding to assertions that small modular reactors,which are smaller than traditional nuclear plants,may be quicker and cheaper to build,Finkel said:“The reality is,it’s not being done in Europe and America.