Renewables Provide More Jobs for Australians than Nuclear: Union

A power generating windmill towers above a nuclear power plant operated in Marseilles, Illinois, on June 14, 2018. Scott Olson/Getty Images

A representative body of trade unions in Victoria has said renewables will create more jobs than nuclear.

At a recent inquiry into nuclear power generation, Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary Luke Hilakari, representing over 40 unions in the state, was questioned about the organisation’s attitude toward nuclear.

This comes as the Opposition is pushing for a nuclear strategy to counter the Labor government’s renewable-only policy.

The Opposition has announced its intent to convert retired coal-fired power station sites into nuclear, using their transmission facilities and the previous labour force.

The Job Debate

Citing a U.S. Department of Energy’s report, Liberal MP Ted O'Brien highlighted that 77 percent of workers in a coal plant could transition to work in a nuclear power plants. He asked whether nuclear would bring about better job opportunities for union workers.

While Hilakari acknowledged that coal plant workers could transition to other energy jobs, including nuclear, he said renewables would provide a better future for union workers.

“When it comes to more jobs, we think there’s more jobs in building renewables than there is [in] nuclear,” he said, estimating renewables could deliver 26,000 positions, a figure he argued the nuclear industry could not match.

Hilakari noted that a nuclear plant could only produce around 400 jobs, with only a quarter being blue-collar jobs.

“It’s probably not the best place for the amount of people that we would be looking to cover,” he said.

O'Brien countered by emphasising higher wages in the nuclear industry. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nuclear workers earn 14 percent more than coal plant workers and 50 percent more than those in wind and solar sectors.

“If those opportunities in nuclear actually provide for higher incomes, wouldn’t that be a good thing for the workers you represent?” O'Brien asked.

Hilakari agreed better pay was appealing but argued that nuclear’s limited job creation and its potential to hinder investments in renewables made it less viable.

“Australia needs so much power. If you had a baseline power from nuclear, why look to support offshore wind, solar on people’s roofs, and battery storage?” he questioned.

“With nuclear, you can have some well-paid jobs, but it’s for a very few [people].”

Hazelwood Power Plant Closure and Nuclear Option

Some communities near retired coal plants have expressed willingness to host nuclear.Latrobe City Council Mayor Dale Harriman expressed support for the Opposition’s proposal of setting up a nuclear power station in the area during a previous inquiry.

The mayor said the council was significantly impacted by the closure of Hazelwood Power Station in 2017, which saw a sharp fall in jobs, housing values, retail shopping, and living quality, and had not recovered since then.

Amid the region’s bleak situation, Harriman said local power station workers were excited about the prospect of being transitioned into new jobs with nuclear.

“When Hazelwood closed, the thought of no future and nowhere to work was palpable in the area, and it had a depressive effect on the community,” he said.

“The discussion that nuclear is there, and it gives an option to our coal-fired power station workers. They’re very supportive of it.”