The Coalition's nuclear energy proposal has spurred a debate around how best to secure Australia's power needs at a low cost into the future. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to build nuclear reactors on the sites of seven retired coal-fired power stations across five states if elected.
says nuclear could be built in Australia — and would be owned by the Commonwealth. A report from the has found it could cost as much as $17 billion and take more than 15 years to build a single nuclear power plant in Australia — and electricity from nuclear power could be at least 50 per cent more expensive than solar and wind. However, some experts argue that, following the initial cost, nuclear energy could drive prices down in Australia in the long term, pointing to lower electricity prices overseas.
's latest GenCost report attempts to compare different electricity-generating technologies, taking into account projected operational costs, but acknowledges it "is not a substitute for detailed project cashflow analysis or electricity system modelling". It estimates the average cost for an energy unit would be $141 to $233 per MWh if a large nuclear reactor was built by 2030.