Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has ruled out Murray's Beach on Jervis Bay as a possible nuclear reactor location, should the Coalition win the next federal election.
Speaking in Bomaderry on Tuesday, June 18, after meeting with a range of community volunteers, Mr Dutton said he was looking at putting nuclear reactors only on the sites of decommissioned coal-powered generators "because the poles and wires are already hooked up to that land".
And Murray's Beach, the location of Australia's first proposed nuclear power plant in the late 1960s, did not fit the bill, he said.
"If it's not a coal-fired power site it's not on our radar," Mr Dutton said.
However, he believed nuclear power was the key to providing "cheaper, consistent and cleaner energy".
"I want to make sure that like the other 19 countries in the G20, that is the biggest economies in the world, that we have cutting edge technology than can underpin energy security for decades to come," Mr Dutton said.
In those countries utilising the latest nuclear technology, Mr Dutton said: "They're paying a fraction of the costs that we are here, and they're not getting the reports back from their energy regulator that there's going to be blackouts like we're being told here in Australia."
Illawarra offshore wind zone
While he called for "a mature discussion on what our energy mix looks like going forward," Mr Dutton rejected plans for the Illawarra offshore wind zone announced by Energy Minister Chris Bowen in recent days.
He said the proposal would "force up electricity prices" and did not have community support.
"You need to engage with local communities, you need to have an understanding of what communities have to say and this has been a botched process from day one," Mr Dutton said.
Liberal Party candidate for Gilmore, Andrew Constance, said he was concerned about the impact the project cost would have on ever-increasing power prices - particularly when so many were struggling to pay their electricity bills.
"One thing I've actually observed over the past couple of days is that nobody's actually talked about the price tag of this, and the flow-on effect to people's power bills," he said.
"A $10 billion project 20km out to sea, with tens of thousands of tonnes of concrete and steel, and Chris Bowen's talking 2030, and I'm hearing from the Labor Party publicly that it's going to reduce power bills?"
Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips accused Mr Dutton and Mr Constance of "stoking unfounded fears about the Illawarra offshore wind zone, creating job insecurity".
And the Liberal Party's alternative of nuclear power was too expensive, too slow to build, too costly to run and lacked community support, Mrs Phillips said.
"Nuclear is unviable. It's the most expensive form of energy which means higher power prices for business, industry and homes in Gilmore," she said.
"Dutton has no plans to help everyday Australians - struggling families, seniors and small business owners.
"Let me be clear, Dutton and Constance's support for nuclear and opposition to offshore wind, means delaying cheaper power prices and the creation of more local jobs," Mrs Phillips said.
She said the declaration of an offshore wind zone off the coast of Illawarra was the first crucial step towards providing cleaner, cheaper power for the region.
Located 20 kilometres off the coast and stretching from Wombarra to Kiama, the zone would provide potential for the development of a reliable renewable energy source to power regional jobs and provide energy security for industry, businesses and homes, according to Mrs Phillips.
"This is about getting more renewable energy into the grid, which will provide energy security and put downward pressure on power prices for everyone in Gilmore," she said.
"We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector this decade, and invest in clean, proven energy technology."
