Wednesday 19 March 2025
The Coalition’s proposed nuclear sites in Queensland would not have access to enough water to manage a nuclear incident, according to an explosive new report by the Queensland Conservation Council.
We’ve just hit 14 years since the Fukushima nuclear accident. The new report shows that during the Fukushima emergency, the nuclear facility was flooded with 1.3 million cubic metres of sea water to prevent the plant from blowing up – more than a 1,000 times the water available in the dams connected to the existing coal generators the Coalition wants to turn nuclear.
According to the Queensland Conservation Council, the proposed nuclear reactor in Callide would use more than double the water currently used by the existing Callide power station, while the proposed Tarong nuclear reactor would use 50 per cent more water than the existing coal station.
Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman says:
“The findings of this report are damning for the Coalition’s nuclear fantasy. There simply is not enough water available in the proposed locations to run nuclear facilities, let alone manage them in the case of an emergency.
“Even though Brisbane just experienced a major rainfall event, there’s nowhere near enough water capacity in our dams to stop a nuclear meltdown if things go wrong.
“The Coalition’s proposed Tarong nuclear reactor would be connected to Wivenhoe dam, which is Brisbane’s main water supply. If there was an emergency, you could run the whole dam dry and still not have enough water to stop a meltdown.
“The Coalition is not being honest with farmers and the community about the realities of their nuclear scheme. At best it’s impractical, at worst it’s grossly irresponsible and could result in a major incident.
“We’ve seen during droughts that there’s not enough water for existing coal power stations, especially in Central Queensland, so coal units have to wind down their operation.
“So the Coalition’s ‘plan’ is to build the most expensive form of electricity generation that won’t be ready in time to replace our retiring coal power stations, and then won’t be available at times because of water constraints.
“You know what doesn’t use a lot of water? Renewable energy and it’s already powering 40 per cent of Australia.”
Media contact: Ellie McLachlan, 0407 753 830
Available for interview: Dave Copeman
ENDS