17 July 2024
Topics: Zero emissions nuclear energy
Ashleigh Gillon
Let me just quote one – Steve Edwell is the Economic Regulation Authority chair and independent umpire focused on keeping utility prices down. In my home state of WA, he found that nuclear power and renewables can’t work together in WA’s electricity grid. What do you know that he doesn’t?
Ted O’Brien
Great to be with you, Ashleigh. Whether it be Anthony Albanese, Chris Bowen and some other people who are suggesting that zero emissions nuclear energy can’t work alongside renewables, they are at odds with the rest of the world. I don’t know what it is they know that the rest of the world seems to not know. Why is it that Australia is a member of the G20, the 20 most advanced economies in the world, with all other G20 members either using nuclear energy today or progressing down the path to doing so. They haven’t done their numbers at all on their own plan. I was hoping that Chris Bowen today, after two years in government, could look the Australian people in the eye and tell them the total system cost of his plan. We know that Australians are paying among the highest electricity prices in the world. They promised a $275 reduction household power bills. But, Ashleigh, we have families now paying up to $1,000 more than what Labor promised and the best the minister can do is come out with motherhood statements trying to beat up on the opposition’s policies. He’s in government, he needs to …
Ashleigh Gillon
Ted O’Brien that’s a bit rich, isn’t it? I mean speaking of the costings, when will we actually see your costings? It does seem a bit ridiculous to be debating the pros and cons of your policy when such a crucial plank, which is the economic case, is a big unknown at this point.
Ted O’Brien
I think you are dead right, Ashleigh, that we cannot go to the next election not knowing how much both teams in terms of the Liberal National team versus the Labor-Green team policies are going to cost. And we’ve been very clear.
Ashleigh Gillon
And when we get your costings?
Ted O’Brien
Once we have released our gas policy and renewables policy, we will then release the economics of our energy plan. Labor, despite being in government, still refuses to make such a commitment and that is why we are seeing prices soar threats for lights going out, industries collapsing, and jobs will shed under this Labor government. They made no such commitment of being transparent with their costings. We have, despite the fact we were in opposition, we shall be completely transparent about the economics of our plan and will be proud to do so. Because, unlike Labor, we’ll be able to deliver cheap, clean and consistent 24/7 electricity.
Ashleigh Gillon
Labor’s also warning about the impact on our water resources from nuclear power generation. How would you safeguard crucial water resources needed for agriculture in many of the locations you’ve nominated and sites for nuclear generators, as I understand that vast amounts of water are needed to cool those radioactive cores?
Ted O’Brien
Ashleigh, yet again, Labor is desperately looking around to try and find an angle of attack. But we have deliberately chosen seven locations across the country, former or existing coal sites – coal plants – that have been using water, that have water licenses in place. In terms of the actual water use, again, it depends on the technology. There is no rule of thumb. Is Mr. Bowen suggesting it’s definitely water cooling, is it dry cooling? Is it hybrid cooling? I think yet again, he doesn’t want to talk about his own track record. Emissions are up, prices are up, lights going out…
Ashleigh Gillon
.. so, you can’t tell us the amount of power or how much water your plan would use?
Ted O’Brien
We’ve been very clear about what our plan is, and we have said that we will be introducing either small modular reactors or the modern large plants. Now as for the amount of water, Ashleigh, it depends on the cooling system. And so, you have water cooling, you have dry cooling, you can have a hybrid, right? It’s basically Mr. Bowen, trying to go to a level of detail that he knows very well because we’ve already announced the policy, that there’ll be a full characterisation assessment. So, the technical feasibility, that shall be done within a two-and-a-half-year period at each of these locations, and we’ll be having the experts making the determination of this specific cooling technology. But I can guarantee you this; is there will be no water taken from the consumptive pool. There’ll be no threat to agriculture. We’re talking about the Liberal National Party here. If there’s – if there’s any political movement that has been protective of our energy security, it’s the Coalition. It’s not Labor, it’s not the Greens. What he was silent on today was the amount of water used for Labor’s own green energy superpower plan. This is the green hydrogen plan, where you need nine litres of water for a kilogram of hydrogen. There’s no suggestion from Labor about how much water their plan needs. We have deliberately chosen coal plant sites because they have water. They’ve got water licenses, and that is why as part of the technical assessment already done, we see no problem whatsoever when it comes to water. Again, it’s a rabbit hole created by Labor…
Ashleigh Gillon
Ted O’Brien, as always, we look forward to seeing – we look forward to seeing more of the detail. As you know, the experts are crying out for all of that. So, we’ll look forward to seeing that hopefully sooner rather than later.
Ted O’Brien
Thanks, Ashleigh.