May 28, 2024
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud says people will “have to wait a little bit longer” to find out whether existing coal-fired power stations in his electorate have been identified by the Coalition as possible sites for nuclear reactors.
The Nationals Leader, whose electorate includes Nanango and Kingaroy, was asked the question by Sky News journalist Danica De Georgio at the weekend.
“You’re just going to have to wait a little bit longer, we’ll announce that in the next little bit,” Mr Littleproud replied.
“But we’ll be upfront and honest with the Australian people and that’s about making sure that on a technical basis, that it does work in the geographical areas that we’re saying that they’ll go.
“But they will be where existing coal fired power stations are. And the reason we want to do that is because there’s existing infrastructure, there’s existing workforces that can enjoy workforce beyond coal.”
Mr Littleproud has previously stated that “extensive polling” had been undertaken in the areas where the suggested “six of seven” nuclear power stations could be located under the Opposition plan.
A post on a South Burnett community social media page at the weekend suggested polling about nuclear power has already been undertaken in the Nanango area.
Mr Littleproud said he acknowledged the CSIRO’s GenCost report – which found nuclear power was the most expensive way to generate electricity – but said it had “failed to acknowledge that a nuclear power plant goes for some 80 to 100 years”.
“These wind turbines and solar panels are somewhere between five and 15 (years),” he said.
“There’ll be four to five times turnover of those. And you can’t use the same concrete pylons for these wind turbines that you do for a nuclear power plant.
“And it’s also doesn’t take into account the energy mix that we put in place. CSIRO doesn’t know our energy mix that we’ll announce. And that means that we’ll have nuclear power plants running at greater capacity, 90 per cent plus. That’s how you drive the cost down. That’s how the Canadians drove it down. And so that’s what we’ll articulate along with the sites to be upfront.”
- Editorial: The Nuclear Option … Past & Present
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After two minutes of Google research: The expected life of the Coopers Gap Wind Farm is 25 years, and wind turbine pylons are made of steel that is bolted into a concrete base. You can’t get even these basic facts right.