Liddell Power Station, located in Australia’s Hunter Valley, burned coal for fifty years before ceasing operations last year. Opposition leader Peter Dutton now advocates for transforming Liddell into a nuclear power plant, a type of energy production banned in the country for twenty-five years.
New South Wales’ site, along with six other operating or retired coal-fired power plants, is under consideration by Dutton, the leader of the center-right Liberal party, for conversion into nuclear power stations as part of a significant shift in Australia’s energy generation.
Dutton believes that nuclear energy is essential for achieving Australia’s goals of affordable, cleaner, and consistent power, as he stated earlier this year.
This proposal has put energy policy at the forefront leading up to next year’s election. Australia, known for its rich natural resources and energy exports, is grappling with the challenge of decarbonizing its economy.
While the Labor government under Anthony Albanese focuses on renewable energy, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the opposition Liberals and Nationals propose abandoning these targets in favor of nuclear energy to commence power generation in the mid-2020s.
According to Ben Oquist, a former political adviser and consultant, rising energy costs have dampened support for Labor’s renewable energy agenda and created an opening for Dutton to propose nuclear energy as an alternative.
Dutton’s plan involves reversing decades-old Australian policies and necessitates changes to existing national and state laws that prohibit nuclear power. These bans were initiated in 1998 as a concession to minor parties supporting the construction of a research reactor near Sydney, which remains the country’s only reactor for medical and industrial purposes.
Although bipartisan opposition to nuclear energy is softening, a Lowy Institute poll this year showed growing support for nuclear power as part of Australia’s energy mix, due in part to the Aukus security agreement with the US and UK.
Aviation and electronics entrepreneur, Dick Smith, emphasized the urgency of addressing climate change through nuclear power, highlighting the changing perspectives on nuclear energy among younger citizens and criticizing ideological opposition to it.