Top independent energy officials have confirmed in a parliamentary inquiry that if Coalition plans were to go ahead, there would be a significant delay between the retirement of coal plants and before nuclear plants could be built.
The disclosure is raising serious concerns about job losses and skyrocketing carbon emissions that will eventuate under the Coalition’s plans to meet the energy shortfall in the interim.
According to Federal Government analysis, the Coalition’s nuclear proposal will rely on boosting gas usage by five times the current annual production, increasing carbon emissions by 325 million tonnes. The Coalition has pledged to subside new and existing gas plants.
If elected, the Coalition plans to cut short the renewables roll out and build seven publicly funded nuclear plants around Australia, with one slated for Muswellbrook. Electricity would cost up to 3.8x more under the half a trillion dollar scheme, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis Report.
Crucially, the Coalition’s ramshackle proposal fails to address the needs of workers and their regional communities who face significant job losses and economic devastation as coal is retired.
The proposal will halt important renewable energy projects across the Hunter, like Hunter Offshore Wind, binning tens of thousands of quality, well-paid jobs locally and leaving workers and communities in the lurch.
Our communities urgently need quality jobs after coal plants retire, and they can’t afford to be paying almost four times more for electricity.
