ANALYSIS from the Australian Conservation Foundation has found for just one-fifth of the Coalition’s nuclear price tag, the government could install rooftop solar on every house in the country that doesn’t already have it.*
And for less than half (42%) of the $331 billion, the government could also install a battery system on every Australian house that doesn’t already have one.
“For just a fraction of what the Coalition says its nuclear ideas will cost, the government could pay for the installation of rooftop solar on every house in Australia, saving households $1,300 a year and generating clean, sustainable, energy to power our homes far sooner,” ACF CEO Kelly O’Shanassy said.
“The CSIRO’s GenCost work and multiple independent analyses consistently rank nuclear as Australia’s most expensive energy option.
“The Coalition’s assumptions defy lived experience of the nuclear industry overseas, where nuclear projects routinely run over time and over budget, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab.
“In the unlikely event the Coalition’s nuclear ideas ever go ahead, we would be waiting at least 20 years for the reactors. That is far too slow to be an effective response to the climate crisis, which is affecting Australians right here, right now. We don’t have two decades to waste.
“Instead of nuclear, Australia’s energy sector is investing heavily in renewable technologies, which already supply 40 per cent of Australia’s electricity.
“The Coalition’s plan is full of holes. It lacks fundamental detail on reactor types, the proportion of nuclear slated for the national grid, as well as site preparation, assessment, licencing and regulatory costs.
“Today’s announcement conveniently ignores the massive costs and risks that come with storing this highly toxic material for thousands of years. The renewables transition is already powering ahead. We don’t need this nuclear distraction. Australia’s energy future is renewable, not radioactive.”
* The ACF analysis shows the cost of installing solar PV systems on the 6.9 million Australian dwellings that don’t already have solar would be around $63 billion. Calculations based on the average installation cost for a 10kw solar system, at $9,120 in NSW and average battery installation costs, at $13,000 (AGL). Does not include inverter costs.
Contact details:
Josh Meadows, 0439 342 992, josh.meadows@acf.org.au
