Labor campaign hard against Liberal nuclear plan

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Labor claims two thirds of Australia’s solar output would have to be switched off. If the coalition's nuclear energy plan is realised. The government and business groups have also warned the scheme will hurt private sector spending in solar and wind. But the coalition says it's not concerned about investors, just hip pockets.

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00:00From a boat on a Tasmanian seafood farm to suburban inner western Sydney, Labor has wasted

00:08no time in tearing into the Coalition's nuclear costings.

00:12They are full of holes, false assumptions, cons and lies.

00:17You don't get cheaper power with the most expensive form of new energy.

00:21The Opposition's plan, released yesterday, would transition Australia to 54% renewables

00:26and 38% nuclear energy by 2050.

00:30Around the world, you see nuclear working together with renewables.

00:35Labor says the combination is the death of most rooftop solar.

00:39More than 60% of the rooftop solar operating during the day would have to be switched off.

00:45If you're feeding power from nuclear power stations and solar rooftop into the grid,

00:49the grid won't cope.

00:50Already, the Australian energy market operator says 40% of Australia's energy is generated

00:57by renewable sources, and it's increasing.

01:00In a couple of years' time, we're going to be at 54%.

01:03That means out to 2050, the Coalition is saying no more renewable energy to be built on the

01:09grid.

01:10Solar PV in households would have to be curtailed during periods where there was excess supply.

01:17Investors too are concerned.

01:18The Business Council of Australia says the Coalition's nuclear policy may impact business

01:23certainty and investment.

01:25The Australian Industry Group says it welcomes the debate, but says there are questions about

01:30whether nuclear would crowd out private sector investment in energy infrastructure.

01:36The proposed use of taxpayer dollars to build nuclear plants, while the private sector focuses

01:41on renewables, seems to be a departure from the Coalition's usual instinct to trust the

01:46free market.

01:48Although their modelling doesn't show it, the Coalition insists the addition of nuclear

01:52energy will bring down power prices.

01:56Our focus is not trying to ensure that investors make a buck, our focus is to ensure households

02:02save a buck.

02:03Ultimately, it's those households who'll decide what they prefer.

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