Peter Dutton has failed to address the extremely high cost of nuclear – but it can only increase power bills

‘In the absence of any costings since Peter Dutton launched his nuclear plan in June, IEEFA began researching the costs of nuclear power.’ Photograph: Steven Markham/AAP

In his speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on nuclear power on Monday, the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, failed to address how Australia could avoid the extremely high construction costs of recent nuclear reactors built in Europe and North America.

In the absence of any costings since Dutton launched his nuclear plan in June, IEEFA, an independent global energy finance thinktank, began researching the costs of nuclear power and what it would mean for Australia.