Dutton Warns of ‘California-Style Blackouts’ Under Albanese’s Renewable Plan

Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant which sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California on March 17, 2011. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Opposition leader Peter Dutton is concerned the Albanese government’s renewables energy policy could lead to California-style “blackouts” in the future.

However, Prime Minister Anthony attacked the Coalition’s “risky” nuclear plan on the weekend, raising concerns it will stop investment in renewables.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom was forced to extend the life of a nuclear plant in his state in December by five years to stop blackouts.

In an interview with 2GB, Mr. Dutton said in America, both the Democrats and Republicans favour nuclear power and he does not understand why the Australian Labor Party has been left behind.

“I worry that Anthony Albanese is taking us down the California path, where you’ve got scheduled blackouts and brownouts,” Mr. Dutton said.

“That can’t be a feature of modern economy, you can’t maintain a business or a manufacturing business if you are relying on that sort of intermittent power, and it’s been a failure in California and elsewhere, where people have tried to go down this path, and it is only for ideological reasons.”

Mr. Dutton said Australia is the only G20 country in the top 20 economies in the world that is not embracing nuclear.

“And we can’t run an economy on wind and solar, we have to have 24-7 baseline power, and nuclear is the most efficient way to deliver that,” Mr. Dutton added.

The Labor Party aims to achieve net zero with 100 percent renewable energy supported by gas. In contrast, the Coalition plans to build seven nuclear reactors in Australia if it wins the next election.

Mr. Dutton admitted nuclear power would be costly initially but argued the cost would cover a longer period of time than wind turbines.

“There’s a big upfront capital cost to it, there’s no question about that, but over time, because it lasts for 80 to 100 years, you’re amortising that cost over a longer period, which brings the cost of electricity down,” he said.

“For a wind turbine, it’s got a lifespan of about 19 to 20 years, so you’ve got the four life cycles of the wind turbine, it comes at a huge cost compared to an investment that you make into a technology like nuclear.”

Mr. Dutton added China is establishing “two coal-fired power stations a week,” along with building nuclear power stations.

“But it just doesn’t make sense the path the Prime Minister has got us on, and part of the reason we’ve got a big inflationary problem in Australia at the moment.

“So we’ve got to get serious because otherwise we are going to continue to go backwards under this government and I just don’t think people can afford to do that,” Mr. Dutton said.

Dutton’s Nuclear Plan is ‘Risky’: Albanese

However, Albanese described Mr. Dutton’s nuclear plan as “risky” in a press conference on July 13.  He criticised Mr. Dutton for not releasing costings and further details on the plan.

“What we have from the Coalition is their risky nuclear plan that will call for a stop to investment in renewables that we need. They can’t say how much it will cost, they can’t say how it will exist in conjunction with the sites, given that six of the seven sites said no to this plan,” Mr. Albanese said.

Mr. Albanese, campaigning in Brisbane, reiterated the government is committed to net zero and 82 percent renewables by 2030.

“We know that Queensland, as the most regional of our states, can benefit particularly from the transition to net zero, and yet it’s only Labor that’s putting forward those positive plans and implementing them,” he said.

California Governor Extended Nuclear Plant Life to Avoid Blackouts

California governor Gavin Newsom could not guarantee that blackouts are a thing of the past during a press conference in April 2024.

“We have a lot of work to do in moving this transition, with the kind of stability that’s required. So no, [we’re] not announcing that blackouts are part of our past,” he told reporters.

He also highlighted battery storage as critical to achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2045.

“Batteries allow us to use clean energy captured by solar and other renewable sources at all times of the day, especially when solar generation drops after the sun goes down,” he said.

In December 2023, California regulators extended Diablo Canyon nuclear plant operations by five years to avoid more rolling blackouts.

In June 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators agreed to a $400 million loan to allow Pacific Gas and Electric to continue running the plant.

In March 2023, Mr. Newsom argued that “climate change” driven extreme events are placing stress on the power grid.

“The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is important to support energy reliability as we accelerate progress towards achieving our clean energy and climate goals,” Mr. Newsom said.