Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan is keen for the Coalition to retain a nuclear energy policy. Photo: Dan Tehan Facebook.
The Coalition is bringing back its nuclear energy policy because, well, that’s not why it lost this year’s federal election anyway.
That seems to be the uptake from Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan’s just completed nuclear facilities tour of the United States.
The Liberal Party frontbencher is undertaking a review of the Coalition’s energy policy and while it’s not completed yet, he’s eager to declare nuclear will definitely be part of the platform taken to the next election.
Mr Tehan says his US trip convinced him there is a “nuclear renaissance” underway there and Australia should follow suit.
“There is huge investment going into nuclear. There are huge developments that are taking place,” he said.
“And everyone that I spoke to is incredibly confident, given the use of AI, given the use of quantum, that they will continue to make rapid developments with nuclear technology.”
After briefing his colleagues about what he learned on his overseas jaunt, Mr Tehan said the Coalition would refine the policy it took to the election so as to account for the latest developments in technology.
But the party will be campaigning for nuclear energy in the lead-up to the next federal poll.
“I think there is overwhelming agreement on the Coalition side that nuclear needs to be part of our energy mix,” Mr Tehan said.
“Australia is going to be left behind. That is where the rest of the globe is heading.
“And if we don’t adopt nuclear technology and the developments which are taking place when it comes to micro-reactors, small modular reactors and all sorts of other technological breakthroughs which are taking place in this area, then we will miss out on one of the key industries that are going to drive the knowledge industries going forward.”
The Shadow Minister conceded, when asked during an ABC interview, that he did not visit any renewable energy facilities in the US.
He said he did, however, have discussions with some nuclear experts about how nuclear energy could work alongside renewables.
“It just makes absolute sense for us to enable nuclear to be part of our energy equation going forward, especially given the fact that it is emissions neutral,” Mr Tehan said.
The Shadow Minister said the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy taken to this year’s election ran foul of a Labor scare campaign that inflated costings.
He also suggested nuclear energy’s acceptance in Australia would be led by younger generations not tainted by cliched cartoon portrayals of nuclear reactors.
“There are some in the older generation that grew up with The Simpsons who still have those sort of outdated mindset,” he said.
“But most young Australians are very much open to it,” he added.
Fellow Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie said the Opposition’s nuclear policy wasn’t even close to the top of the list when it comes to why Australians deserted the party at the election.
The Nationals Senator believes nuclear power should be part of Australia’s future energy mix.
“I think when the reviews are all handed in, our nuclear policy won’t be in the top five reasons of why we had such a catastrophic loss at the last election,” Senator McKenzie said.
“But the reality is, if you want to be serious about reducing emissions, that nuclear has to be part of the mix if we’re going to stay a rich and prosperous country.”
Former opposition leader Peter Dutton released the Coalition’s energy policy in the lead-up to this year’s federal election, revealing that he intended to locate seven nuclear power stations across Australia if he was elected PM.
The Coalition’s policy, which is now under review, would have had renewables provide 54 per cent of the nation’s electricity by 2050, with nuclear providing 38 per cent, and storage and gas providing 8 per cent.
Labor has a much bigger focus on renewable energy, on the path to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Mr Dutton said his plan to build would have been 44 per cent cheaper than Labor’s plan over a 25-year period.
He rejected CSIRO’s GenCost report that said nuclear power was at least twice as expensive as renewable energy.
Mr Dutton lost the election and his own seat in a landslide win for Labor.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
