No Net-Zero Without Nuclear: Shadow Energy Minister

A view of cooling towers for units 3, from left, and 4 at Plant Vogtle, in Burke County near Waynesboro, Ga., on July 31, 2023. Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Australia cannot achieve net-zero without nuclear in the energy mix, shadow minister for climate change and energy Ted O’Brien said.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Sydney, Mr. O’Brien said in Australia’s energy transition, every option needed to be on the table, including nuclear power.

“We have a race to the exit by coal-fired power stations by 2035. By 2035, 80 percent of Australia’s baseload power will exit the grid without any guarantee of a replacement,” he said.

“We need everything on the table and all-of-the-above approach. We need to be considering everything—and that includes zero-emissions nuclear energy.”

But pursuing nuclear technology would not only help keep electricity bills down for Australian families, Mr. O’Brien said it would also be in Australia’s geostrategic interests.

Around the world, there are 32 countries that generate energy from nuclear, including China and Russia.

Mr. O’Brien said those two countries were ahead in the nuclear game.

“Small modular reactors already commercialised being sold in China,” he said.

“Within that context, let me put to you today that if we want to have a secure future for our kids and theirs, we will not have success with AUKUS unless we have a vibrant civil nuclear industry.”

Another 50 countries are currently looking at the possibility because it can fill the role that baseload power stations do in providing stable energy.

“Why is the world racing towards next-generation zero-emissions nuclear energy? Because it’s zero emissions,” Mr. O’Brien said.

“We shouldn’t be closing our coal-fired power stations down prematurely. When they do retire, why would we not consider ... putting a next generation nuclear reactor on site.”

Taxpayer Paying for Net Zero

Former deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, said the cost of net-zero by 2050 is about $7 trillion to $9 trillion.

“You know, who’s paying for this? You, [the taxpayers],” Mr. Joyce told CPAC.

“It’s government or private enterprise, I'll tell you one thing about them, they want a return, they want their money back, they want you to pay for it.”

Despite claims that renewables remain the cheapest energy option for Australians, electricity prices have continued to soar.

“The price of power has gone through the roof, the reliability has gone through the floor, and the money has gone overseas,” he said.

He also highlighted issues with the manufacturing process for renewable infrastructure.

“We do not make wind towers in Australia, we do not make solar panels in Australia,” he said.

A significant amount of cobalt, one of the key components of the batteries used to store energy from solar panels, is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and monopolised by China. A majority of imported solar panels are also assembled and made with Chinese slave labour.

“Yet somehow they arrive on a roof and they’re moral,” Mr. Joyce said.