<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2025/feb/18/peter-dutton-nuclear-power-soundbite-australia-election>
"The election is just weeks away and Peter Dutton has still not answered any of
the key questions about how his nuclear energy pitch would work beyond naming
the seven sites where the Coalition says it might eventually – mostly in the
2040s – use taxpayer funding to build power plants.
He is rarely even asked. Polling suggests he has a reasonable chance of moving
into the Lodge in a few weeks.
If he’s good as his word, Dutton would attempt to put the brakes on investment
in large-scale solar and windfarms and battery storage, which has just taken
off and begun to approach the pace needed to get close to Labor’s goal of 82%
renewable energy by 2030 and replace a fleet of coal-fired power plants nearing
the end of their lives.
It would require billions of dollars of taxpayer funding to maintain the old,
run-down coal plants in an effort to keep them functioning for longer. Experts
say there is no guarantee it would succeed.
Dutton and his climate and energy shadow minister, Ted O’Brien, suggest this
approach – limiting the amount of new capacity entering the system, reducing
competition in the electricity market and relying more on ageing infrastructure
– would somehow improve grid reliability and lead to cheaper bills in the
short-term than otherwise would be expected. He hasn’t explained how."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
