The federal authorities says it will value as a lot as $387bn to interchange Australia’s retiring coal-fired energy stations with the type of nuclear energy proposed by the Coalition.
The determine, produced by the vitality division, is the projected value of changing all the output from closing coal-fired crops with small modular reactors.
The opposition chief, Peter Dutton, has beforehand instructed that Australia “may convert or repurpose coal-fired crops and use the transmission connections which exist already on these websites”.
Nevertheless, he has not been specific about how a lot of the coal-fired electrical energy output would get replaced with nuclear-sourced vitality – an uncertainty that makes projecting the fee troublesome.
The determine provides gas to the rising political dispute over the tempo and type of Australia’s vitality transition.
The federal government mentioned the brand new evaluation confirmed a minimal of 71 small modular reactors – offering 300MW every – could be wanted if the coverage had been to completely exchange the 21.3GW output of Australia’s retiring coal fleet.
“In line with the 2022-23 GenCost report modelling beneath the present insurance policies state of affairs, this might value $387bn,” a authorities abstract mentioned.
“That is as a result of estimated capital value of $18,167/kW for [small modular reactors] in 2030, in comparison with massive scale photo voltaic at simply $1,058/kW, and onshore wind at $1,989/kW.”
The federal government mentioned this may symbolize “a whopping $25,000 value impost on every Australian taxpayer”.
The minister for local weather change and vitality, Chris Bowen, mentioned the opposition wished to advertise the advantages of “non-commercial” small modular reactor know-how “with out proudly owning as much as the fee and the way they intend to pay for it”.
“Peter Dutton and the opposition want to elucidate why Australians will likely be slugged with a $387bn value burden for a nuclear vitality plan that flies within the face of economics and purpose,” Bowen mentioned.
“After 9 years of vitality coverage chaos, reasonably than lastly embracing a clear, low-cost, protected and safe renewable future, all of the Coalition can promise is a multi-bullion-dollar nuclear-flavoured vitality coverage.”
Dutton recognized Liddell as a doable website for a small modular reactor when he gave a pro-nuclear speech in July.
On the time, Dutton mentioned he noticed nuclear “not as a competitor to renewables, however as a companion” and he wished “an Australia the place we will decarbonise and, on the similar time, ship cheaper, extra dependable and decrease emission electrical energy”.
He known as on the federal government to think about eradicating legislative prohibitions on new nuclear applied sciences – a step the previous Coalition authorities didn’t try throughout its 9 years in energy – “so we don’t place Australia as a nuclear vitality pariah”.
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Dutton additional accused Bowen of burrowing “so deeply down the renewable rabbit gap that he refuses to think about these new nuclear applied sciences”.
“The brand new nuclear know-how practice is pulling out of the station. It’s a practice Australia wants to leap aboard.”
The estimates launched by the federal government on Monday are partly based mostly on the prices for small modular reactors outlined within the CSIRO’s GenCost report.
That report notes that international business deployment of small modular reactors is “restricted to a small variety of initiatives and the Australian trade doesn’t anticipate any deployment right here earlier than 2030”.
The report notes some uncertainty across the projections.
“Nuclear SMR present prices usually are not reported since there isn’t any prospect of a plant being deployed in Australia earlier than 2030,” mentioned the CSIRO report, launched in July.
“Nevertheless, some improved information on nuclear SMR could also be accessible in future experiences and projected capital prices for SMR have been included from 2030 onward.”
The federal authorities has set a objective of 82% of electrical energy coming from renewable vitality by 2030, up from about 35% at the moment.
To attain this, the federal authorities has dedicated $20bn in low-cost finance for “rewiring the nation” – updating transmission strains – however is dealing with pushbacks from rural communities.
