A “dying” town once of huge importance to Australia’s coal mining industry will become one of the sites for a nuclear power plant if the Coalition wins the next federal election.
With Peter Dutton wanting Australia to go nuclear and Anthony Albanese’s government pursuing an energy transition led by renewables, elections a year from now will judge these competing visions.
The Coalition has so far been very coy about where it would put nuclear plants, but Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien let the cat out of the bag on Wednesday by not denying a suggestion from 2UE’s Ben Fordham.
‘You’re going to put one in Lithgow. You have an old coal plant in Lithgow. You’ve got the transmission lines and it’s the talk of the town right now in Lithgow,” Fordham said.
O’Brien tried to avoid directly naming the New South Wales city, 142 kilometers west of Sydney, as one of the first nuclear hotbeds off the list, but he also did not deny it.
A “dying town” once of huge importance to Australia’s coal mining industry will be home to a nuclear power plant if the Coalition wins the next federal election. The photo shows a nuclear power plant.
“Whether (there) or anywhere else in Australia, one of the things we’ve learned along the way is that communities that have experience hosting coal plants, have high energy IQ and understand it,” Mr. O’Brien said.
“And they understand the importance of 24/7 base-load power.”
Mr Fordham also pressed Mr O’Brien on why it is taking the Coalition so long to say exactly what their plans are and that they keep saying it will come “in due time”.
‘You started talking about nuclear energy a little less than two years ago. So how long does it take to announce a policy? Fordham asked. ‘Will the year 2024 come?’
The Shadow Minister finally relented and said there would be an announcement “certainly this year, I can promise you that.”
In a sign the Coalition is coordinating its attack on Labor over net-zero emissions targets, Nationals leader David Littleproud also talked about nuclear plants on Wednesday.
Mr Littleproud said the plants would be in National Party seats and Australians would “know very soon the specific sites” being proposed.
Asked if he was happy to go into the next election with proposed nuclear power plants in seats held by his party, he said “the answer is yes.”
‘We will be very frank and honest. They will be in National Party seats,’ he told ABC at breakfast.
‘We have been very clear that they will be limited to existing coal-fired power stations, so we do not need the additional 28,000 transmission lines to connect renewables.
‘We are clear: there are between 12 and 14 coal-fired power plants in the entire country, so we can limit ourselves to that.
Nationals leader David Littleproud (pictured) also spoke about nuclear plants on Wednesday, saying many would take National Party seats.
The town of Lithgow (pictured), in central western New South Wales, is set to be one of the first locations for a nuclear power plant if the Coalition wins the next federal election.
But very soon you will know the specific sites. We will look you straight in the eyes and be honest.
Littleproud said he and Liberal leader Peter Dutton “won’t be hiding anything” from the public.
O’Brien echoed the Nationals leader and said: ““We are only looking at coal plants…they are ideal locations.”
“We have also announced that it is part of a balanced combination, working with renewable energy and gas,” he said.
