This report examines the impracticality of plans to introduce nuclear power to Australia in a timeframe commensurate with climate goals and the closure of most or all of Australia’s remaining coal power plants over the next 15 years.

The report covers three main issues: the excessive cost of nuclear power; plausible timelines for the deployment of nuclear power in Australia; and proposals to repurpose retiring coal power plant sites as locations for nuclear power.

Report overview

• Section 2 of the report covers nuclear economics. It concludes that nuclear power would be uneconomic in Australia and far more expensive than continuing to build an energy system based on renewables. Lived global experience has shown that nuclear costs have escalated, sometimes dramatically, while renewable costs continue to fall.
• Section 3 considers potential timelines for the deployment of nuclear power in Australia. It is unlikely nuclear power reactors could be operating in Australia in under 20 years from any decision to proceed. This would involve around 10 years for planning, licensing and other issues and a further 10 years for construction.
• Section 4 considers proposals to replace Australia’s retiring coal power plants with nuclear plants. Coal-to-nuclear transitions could potentially reduce nuclear costs by using some existing infrastructure at coal plants, but nuclear power would still be far more expensive than firmed renewables (renewable systems with storage capacity). No coal power plants have been repurposed as nuclear plants in the United States or the United Kingdom, so purported synergies and cost savings are speculative.