12 December, 2024
Just 5% of people living in renewable energy zones would embrace living near nuclear power stations, polling released by RE-Alliance today has shown, while 53% outright reject it.
89 Degrees East polled 1,770 Australians living in renewable energy zones. RE-Alliance has been working in the space where the energy shift meets regional Australia for more than a decade.
The poll measured sentiment around living near energy infrastructure. The key results from the 1,770 people living in renewable energy zones were:
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Nuclear: 53% said they’d reject it, 14% said they’d embrace or approve of it
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Coal or gas: 36% reject, 15% embrace or approve
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Onshore wind farm: 25% reject, 24% embrace or approve
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Transmission lines: 23% reject, 11% embrace or approve
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Solar farms: 14% reject, 39% embrace or approve
RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said nuclear finished last when country voters were asked ‘how do you feel about living near the following types of infrastructure?’, adding other forms of energy generation and infrastructure still had work to do to deliver benefits to country Australia.
“People living in renewable energy zones rank nuclear last in terms of energy infrastructure they’re comfortable living near,” Mr Bray said.
“Farmers are on track to make $1 billion in passive income from clean energy rent between now and 2030, while nuclear is on track to deliver farmers $0 over the same period.
“Regional Australians are finally sharing in the dividends that come from generating energy through the diversification of wind and solar projects across the country.
Mr Bray said attitudes were just as unfavourable towards living near nuclear in regions where nuclear plants are proposed:
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59% of respondents in Central Queensland, which takes in the Coalition’s proposed Callide nuclear site, said they’d reject living near a nuclear power station
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54% of respondents in the Hunter, which takes in the Coalition's proposed Liddell nuclear site, said they’d reject living near a nuclear power station
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49% of respondents in Gippsland, which takes in the Coalition’s proposed Loy Yang nuclear site, said they’d reject living near a nuclear power station
“There are too many polls to count that show the shift to clean energy is widely supported in country Australia. There are definitely challenges and a lack of trusted information, but communities are getting stuck in and working together to find a way forward. By contrast, there is little appetite for living near nuclear at all.
“We know nuclear power isn't compatible with rooftop solar because you have to turn solar off to make the nuclear power plant more viable during the day. What happens to the four million households with rooftop solar in Australia?"
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Media contact: Kitty Walker 0438 900 117 kitty@re-alliance.org.au
About RE-Alliance:
RE-Alliance is an independent not-for-profit, working to secure an energy transformation that delivers long-term benefits for regional and rural Australia.
They do this by listening to the needs and concerns of local communities hosting renewable energy infrastructure, facilitating collaboration across the industry to achieve social good and advocating for improved regional outcomes at a policy level.
In partnership with Community Power Agency and Yes 2 Renewables they are campaigning for the Federal Government to invest in Local Energy Hubs.
Contact details:
Kitty Walker 0438 900 117 kitty@re-alliance.org.au
