The Opposition’s nuclear plan saves $260 billion, but it’s still 53% renewable

Green fantasy Bubble Popped

By Jo Nova

Here in crazy Australia, we have too many renewables, but both sides of politics still want more

Here in the Renewable Crash Test Dummy Land, both sides of politics think we should use our national grid for weather control which is good for President Xi, but bad for Australians.  The Opposition is pointing out that the 82% renewable purity target is bonkers, and we should add nuclear plants, while the Labor party are hell-bent on running the world’s first experiment in wind and solar with not much hydro, no nuclear power and no extension cords to a international market that can rescue us. Literally no nation on Earth is this recklessly ambitious.

With an election coming, and domestic electricity prices approaching escape velocity, both sides are sparring with economic reports. The government claims it can do a national wind and solar miracle grid for just $122 billion.  But Frontier Economics put the cost at $594 billion. The opposition, meanwhile, has finally revealed the first serious costing of their big new nuclear power plan is $331 billion (which is $260 billion cheaper), but it’s still $300 billion we don’t really have.

Awkwardly for Labor, both latter cost comparisons come from the same economists — Frontier Economics. And as Simon Benson points out in The Australian, the Energy Minister might like to discredit them, but his own department uses the same team for energy modelling, so he can’t.

Thus in news that will surprise no engineer, a fifty year old technology will be about half the cost of a wild national experiment with technology so new, half of it hasn’t even been developed yet. The real surprise is that the difference is not bigger, and perhaps the reason for that is that the Coalition plan still has a lot of renewables.

Can’t we just have cheap electricity, and skip the “weather control” fantasy?

Sadly for Australians, no economists, academics, or over-paid bureaucrats, are looking for the cheapest option, which would be coal and gas — or exactly what we had 30 years ago. The invisible problem here is that the Coalition’s plan is 38% nuclear and 53% crazy. (It’s 53% renewables, or 53% unreliable, however you want to label it).

Australia is currently 36% renewable, and it’s already too much

Australia is well beyond the sweet spot of renewable energy, the more we add now, the worse it gets. We already have so much roof-top solar power we are savagely curtailing most of our solar grid scale plants, even in early Spring.

One warm week and the grid is on the verge of blackouts. We’re paying industries to shut down so the grid can survive a normal summer day.

The small Alice Springs microgrid became too unstable with little more than 13% solar power. A cloud rolled over and the whole town blacked out. Since that scare in 2019, other perfectly good solar plants have sat idle for 4 years in the Northern Territory because the people running their grid are afraid their presence will crash the Darwin grid too.

And after the Sydney near miss, our own national grid manager has belatedly realized solar power threatens our largest cities and now wants emergency powers to switch off individual panels spread across 4 million homes. And the South Australians want to force two diesel plants to return to service.

Meanwhile the surge of negative prices at midday is frightening off investors. Jeff Dimery, the head of Alinta Energy, basically said electricity has to get a lot more expensive before an investor will even think of building something to replace coal in Australia.

At $58, I can’t build anything to meaningfully prepare for coal to come out of the system. I can’t build more solar, because we already have a glut of solar in the middle of the day, which is sending spot prices deeply negative. If I was just looking at the forward price, I would also be very wary about building new wind, because the margins would be slim to non-existent, and any curtailment – which is a growing problem – could be disastrous.”

When will one of our 27 government agencies find out what Australians really want to know — what grid would get us the cheapest reliable electricity?

Let’s have a plebiscite on whether we should be paying to “fix” the weather?

 

 

9.9 out of 10 based on 99 ratings

91 comments to The Opposition’s nuclear plan saves $260 billion, but it’s still 53% renewable

  • #
    David Maddison

    the world’s first experiment in wind and solar

    Australia already sort of has that with King Island and Flinders Island in Bass Strait.

    If it could work anywhere in the world with decent sunshine and almost constant wind in the Roaring Forties it could work anywhere.

    But it can’t work in those two places either and they have a constant reliance on diesel generators.

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    David

    I remember reading at least 10 years ago that a study/ modelling of Germany’s planned renewables system showed that the optimum share for renewables was about 30%.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      The optimal share is ZERO. They are intrinsically more expensive than coal, gas, nuclear or real hydro (not SH2).

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      Greenas

      David I think it was TonyfromOz that put the figure at around 25% but it could have been someone else , reason given is the stability issue if wind suddenly drops or a cloud goes over the solar farm . Think I read on this blog that Alice Springs still have their solar farm turned off since that hiccup a few years ago .

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    John in Oz

    See https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/british-gas-power-is-supplying-europe-who-dont-have-much-wind-either/ for another example of the vagaries of wind/solar

    I suspect most readers at this site also read that site but I post the link just in case someone missed it

    Time to send more emails to our illustrious leaders and wannabes pointing out their stupidity as they don’t seem to be able to look in the mirror

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    David Maddison

    Don’t forget, the fake conservative Liberal Party are still True Believers in anthropogenic global warming and are utterly committed to renewables madness.

    The Libs have banned nuclear power in Australia twice. Once they stopped the Jervis Bay reactor, already under construction, in 1970/71 and the energyphobe Howard banned it again by law in 1998.

    And even if nuclear power stations were to go ahead and a decision were made TODAY, in today’s Australia, with feral unions, lawfare, extreme Greens, the Not in my Backyard syndrome, excessive regulations, claims of “sacred sites” etc., how long would it take to bring just one online? I can’t see it happening in less than 20 years and by then Australia will no longer be a viable First World country.

    And besides, where will the money come from? Australia has literally thrown to the wind, hundreds of billions of dollars on wind and solar, the expensive electricity has also destroyed the economy, we have no worthy leaders in any major political party who understand the issues or cares, Leftists are embedded in all institutions and have also corrupted the Universties, law, CSIRO and BoM and public “srrvice”, and Joe and Joanne Sixpack have no clue what’s going on, they just want “free stuff”.

    Imagine where Australia could be if those billions thrown away on wind and solar were actually used for something useful?

    And even with nuclear power how will electricity costs go down? The Libs won’t get rid of windmills and solar plantations and they will still require a subsidy harvested directly from consumer electricity bills. What exactly is the mechanism by which costs will be reduced even with cheap nuclear electricity?

    Australia is no longer the mythological Lucky Country and never was.

    As Donald Horne said:

    When I invented the phrase in 1964 to describe Australia, I said: “Australia is a lucky country run by second rate people who share its luck.” I didn’t mean that it had a lot of material resources … I had in mind the idea of Australia as a [British] derived society whose prosperity in the great age of manufacturing came from the luck of its historical origins … In the lucky style we have never “earned” our democracy. We simply went along with some British habits.

    It is as true today as in 1964.

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    • #
      Dennis

      You appear to ignore the pressures applied via UN IPCC and other octopus arms organisations for member nations to follow the climate change hoax political demands. Accordingly unless Australia had the support of our major allies to ditch the Paris Agreement and ignore the net zero emissions agenda our Federal Government has no choice but to cooperate, albeit reluctantly or not.

      At the Glasgow COP for example PM Morrison would not agree to sign the net zero emissions agreement despite pressure applied from the US and UK as well as others attending. He said that Australia would have an aspirational goal subject to new technology (nuclear for example?) and without damaging the economy.

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      • #
        David Maddison

        agenda our Federal Government has no choice but to cooperate

        Not true.

        Just leave.

        Nothing bad happened when TRUMP left last time, only goodness.

        We have to stand up to these globalist Leftists and not be simps.

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        • #
          Dennis

          Pressure is real, trade for example.

          A trading nation reliant on export income cannot ignore.

          USA has the advantage of being a self contained enormous economy, California GDP exceeds Australia for example.

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          • #
            David Maddison

            We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be bullied. That’s why Leftists always win.

            Trade is what they threaten with but I guarantee you, nothing will happen.

            Australians and especially our “leaders” (if they can be described as such) need to show some cajones.

            There were no sanctions against the USA.

            And if everybody is a wimp and simp like Australians, the Paris Accords will never be removed will they?

            Someone is going to have to follow Trump’s lead but given that the fake conservative Liberal Party is only slightly less bad than Labor, it sadly won’t be them.

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            • #
              Dennis

              As I posted, the US economy is self contained, they do not need to export or import, and in recent times thanks to DJT the US has again become self sufficient in oil and gas.

              I agree that if UK, US and other allied nations supported an exit Australia would be foolish not to join them

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              • #
                ianl

                What a pathetic position you constantly take – the Libs are gutless, just lefties without the unions.

                Look at what Aus actually trades (I mean, really look at what, where, which etc). We are world class farmers, miners, with some top quality medical assets.

                Amongst many countries, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan , India, Cambodia …. lists forever those who rely on our mining expertise and product supplies to build their countries. And who do we feed ?

                And you think milk-weed EU wobblers will stop those countries from trading with us ? Look very carefully at Germany – VW will be gone in less than a year, which will be such a great achievement. Nor will Donald T stop trading with us.

                Remove the unions from the ALP and you are left with the Libs.

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    • #
      Philip

      as to the Lucky phrase:

      It is truer today than it was. That luck is running out, as it does.

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  • #
    Lawrie

    You know the answer Jo. We want coal. New HELE plants can achieve better whole of life emissions than wind or solar and we have so much coal. It has to be good because the Chinese are using it and very shortly the US will be building them again. With Trump and Vance investors have a 12 year window to build and start coal plants by which time the voting public will have discovered the lies of the UN and the rest of the crooked scientific cabal.

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      Dennis

      I read a comment recently posted by a person describing as an engineer with considerable experience and knowledge of nuclear power station technology and construction, and working in China and other countries.

      At least one coal fired power station in China has in recent years been converted to SMR.

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    • #
      jpm

      Lawrie
      As there is no problem with or need to reduce emissions of CO2, no problem with the climate, normal low priced sub-critical coal-fired power plants would be fine. We don’t need the expensive HELE plants.
      John

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    • #
      Philip

      The fact they do not see that is just astonishing.

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      • #
        John Watt

        Oz ,some decades ago had cheap reliable electricity. We had viable manufacturing enterprises. Our current politicians’ obsession with the Gore/Thunberg/IPCC myth is dragging us down. Simply ignore the net-zero delusion. As Einstein said it takes only one voice to get it right. In this case that voice is Dr John Nicol. Until Dutton has the guts to acknowledge Nicol and dismiss net-zero we continue to fade into oblivion.

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    TdeF

    If they were serious about lowering CO2, they would encourage the building of high efficiency HELE plants which would overnight halve CO2 output and double coal reserves. But it’s not about CO2, is it? It’s about buying Chinese windmills and solar panels and putting absolute control of all electricity in the hands of the Prime Minister. Exactly like the YES campaign. It was never about aborigines.

    And just imagine that everyone drove electric cars and trucks. And the power went off completely for six months. The grid went down.

    How would that affect your life, no electricity, no transport for six months? Just about every service would stop as well. Including money.

    The risk in shutting down coal and gas and even wood power is extreme. And deliberate.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    If the Opposition had a clue (they don’t) they would make the point that Australia would experience regular blackouts if it were not for the fact that vast amounts of taxpayer money are paid out for large industrial consumers to shut down to liberate electricity to keep domestic consumers’ lights on.

    This was mentioned in a blog post from Jo a few days ago.

    In other words the grid is already incapable of servicing the existing load without load shedding. Just like in Third World countries.

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    • #
      Dennis

      That point has been made on television programmes I have viewed by Liberal and National MPs.

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      wal1957

      The use of Demand Management means that Joe and Joanne Public aren’t affected by power outages. This is the problem.
      The general public aren’t affected so they aren’t concerned or worried.
      Like most problems, the public only become concerned when it starts to affect them.
      Demand Management is a like a bandaid on a festering sore. The underlying issue has to be fixed otherwise it will only get worse.

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    John in Oz

    The CSIRO, the government’s go-to scientific resource, tells us that the Southern Hemisphere is a CO2/NO/CH4 SINK already (https://capegrim.csiro.au/)

    All of our suffering is for nought

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    • #
      Ross

      You need to mention Neville, he’s been commenting on that fact for years.

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      Neville

      Correct about co2 John in Oz and Methane and Nitrous Oxide are also net sinks in the SH and the NH is also a net source for both trace gases.
      See at your CSIRO Cape Grim link.
      But does this data make any sense to anyone?

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    • #
      Neville

      Geez John in OZ, I didn’t read your comment properly.
      You’re certainly on the ball with reference to the other two gases. I’ll have to do better.

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        Greg in NZ

        Eureka! Thank you Neville, Ross, John, and Jo – south of the equator is a net sink, albeit of a minuscule 0.1% of said ‘trace’ gases.

        The whole CCCult $C@M is built on (hiding) this?

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  • #
    Bruce

    Here in the Penal Colonies?

    Follow the kickbacks / spillage, both financial and political.

    Probably “global” advice.

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  • #
    Paulie

    AEMO has two serious problems with renewable energy. The most obvious is when there is not enough. However, the more dangerous problem is when we have too much.

    Because of low capacity factors (20% for solar and 30% for wind) large renewable projects install much more total generation capacity than the grid needs. Then, when they weather is perfect for renewables, they dump all this on the grid. However, AEMO has already worked out that the grid needs minimum levels of synchronous power to maintain voltage and frequency stability. So when the amount of renewables gets too high, AEMO curtails it:
    https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2024/09/01sept-largesolar-curtailment-80percent/

    https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2024/09/01sept-wind-curtailment-54percent/

    This is happening more frequently now. Despite AEMO starting an engineering research program to solve the problems of 100% instantaneous renewables, I’ve never seen reports of any breakthroughs.

    The consequence is identified at the first link. Curtailment means economic losses for those generators. That means fewer companies prepared to take on renewable projects, when revenue streams become unpredictable. So we should expect the renewables “industry” to demand the government take more of the up-front capital cost risk.

    And by government, I mean the tax payer will be asked to take that risk. More subsidies, government “ownership” of the infrastructure, revenue “guarantees” for investors; the possibilities are endless!

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    • #
      RickWill

      Bowen has already shifted to direct Federal funding of projects. They now have guaranteed minimum income streams. No one knows the terms apart from a few in government and those getting the prize. It is all commercial in confidence. It is a good way to ensure the super funds heavily invested in “renewables” get a return. Look after your mates.

      The RET will end in 2030 and it is not politically smart for Labor to come out and extend to say 2040 or 2050. It was only ever intended as a method to kick start “renewables” but was gradually extended to separate consumers from their money and pass it on to “renewables” proponents.

      Most grid wind and solar offload from economic signals rather than directions to curtail output. Price was negative in both Vic and SA today. If the price is less than MINUS $40/MWh then the wind and solar generators are losing money with limited opportunity to make it up Sao they offload.

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  • #
    Neville

    Again very simple sums proves that Labor and Bowen are dopes or con merchants.
    In 2022 Chinese co2 emissions were 11.35 billion tons and increased to 11.9 B ts in 2023 or an increase of 0.55 Bn Ts in just one year.
    But Australian co2 emissions in 2023 were just 0.383 bn Ts or about the same annual co2 emissions as the last 20+ years.
    Again China’s INCREASE from 2022 to 2023 is 1.6 times HIGHER than Australia’s TOTAL annual co2 emissions. IOW simple to find and simple to understand. So what’s the problem with Albo and B O Bowen?
    Here’s the link from OWI Data.

    https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-co2-emissions-per-country?country=OWID_WRL~CHN~AUS

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    Zigmaster

    In 2008 Obama said in relation to his green energy transition , By necessity prices must sky rocket. The transition away from coal cant occur unless coal is uncompetitive, therefore you have to subsidise renewables to make them cheaper or penalise coal to make it more expensive or as has happened do a bit of both. Higher prices is actually not a glitch but rather a feature of the energy transition. without higher prices wind and solar dont survive. The irony is when one looks at nuclear with a relatively high capital cost ,because it runs so efficiently after twenty years you have an asset that a government could potentially privatise and recoup much of its costs. It still has another 40-60+ years of working life. Contrast, In twenty years the whole renewables grid is getting ready for landfill and is worthless and we have to go through a whole process to replace it.
    The interesting thing is the government has tried to run its whole energy arguement on cost. They knew if they went to the election promising to increase voters bills by $1000 rather than fall by $275 it probably wouldve not helped them get over the line. They have given up trying to scare people about how dangerous it is or whether it’s good for people to be eating fish with 3 eyes. They also haven’t tried to argue on the environment because you need 230x the amount of land, thats a lot of birds , bats koalas and whales having their environment damaged. Also it takes a lot of productive farmland. Furthermore if one takes into account all the CO2 emissions produced in the production of turbines and solar panels with all the concrete metal and glass a nuclear plant compares very favourably. But when you realise that one nuclear plant lasts 4x the time of renewables that emissions gap will just get wider as time goes.
    The Liberals are idiots for not being more extreme in their nuclear ambition and what we really need is a huge reduction in the amount of renewables in the grid but Im prepared to cut them some slack because the alternative is so dramatically worse.
    Hopefully after four years of Trump and most countries likely to pare back their climate ambitions maybe the Liberals will have abolished net zero and realised that so has the rest of the world.
    The possibility by then is that the whole climate scare will be so discredited that the public will demand that the liberals get rid of their 53% renewables target

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    STJOHNOFGRAFTON

    Fifty three percent renewable? The Opposition is having ‘a bob each way’ with this amount. We’re already strapped to the Albanese Socialist government renewables time-bomb with fallout from the intractible waste of junked solar panels and turbines guaranteed for years well into the future. Yet here’s the so-called opposition wanting a 53% share in the debacle. The future of roof-top solar is not looking rosy either: too much input to the grid at the wrong part of the day. All this and now locked-on, incorrigible Bowen wants to seruptitiously re-animate more coal and gas fired baseload power generators to keep the lights on and his Australian renewables superpower on life-support to keep the rollout stumbling along.
    The Oppositions 53% stake in renewables is a farce. It means that Australians are still going to have to put up with the eyesore of a parallel grid, ugly wind turbines and solar farms across our landscape whilst we wait for the nuclear power option to kick in. Not happy my job as a crash-test dummy Peter!

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  • #
    Uber

    $331 billion to go nuclear. Death through madness.

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    Neville

    In 2008 Jo Nova commented that the Vostok ice core graphs showed that temperature moved first and co2 lagged by about 800 years. Also see Petit study.
    Today the Royal Society claims that temperature wouldn’t respond to a 100% cancellation of all Human co2 emissions for THOUSANDs of YEARS. And some other Scientists agree. So why are we bothering to lower co2 emissions at all?
    Here’s Jo’s reference to the Vostok ice core 420,000 year study.

    https://joannenova.com.au/global-warming-2/ice-core-graph/

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    Ross

    Just vindicates my decision to not vote for any of the major political parties. In terms of energy policy the LNP are just as responsible as the ALP for the current dogs breakfast, some would call the national energy grid. Nuclear is just the biggest red herring, total waste of time in terms of any immediate advancement of our electricity needs in Australia. What’s worse, is it seems to chew up lots of media energy that should be directed towards how impractical intermittent energy is. At least Chris Uhlmann (ex ABC, now Sky) gets it and has done some decent exposure there.

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    Tony Tea

    If I were a betting man I would take a punt that nuclear energy gains will outpace wind/solar/battery gains so having a strong nuclear footprint will allow us to take better advantage of nuclear development. I’m not anti w/s/b but I hope that the 38/53 split flips (and more) and that the network is renewable garnish on a nuclear main course, not the other way around.

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    Dennis

    We’ve just received incredible news that highlights why nuclear energy is the key to Australia’s energy future.

    A new independent analysis from Frontier Economics reveals that including nuclear power in Australia’s energy mix could save $263 billion—and these findings are consistent with the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Liftoff Report, and their estimated 37% cost reduction with nuclear.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    Massive Cost Savings: By adopting nuclear energy, Australia can reduce energy costs from $437 billion to $331 billion under AEMO’s “Progressive Change” scenario. That’s a 44% saving compared to Labor’s “Step Change” scenario, which would cost $594 billion. This translates to a saving of $10 billion annually!
    A Smarter Energy Mix: By 2050, nuclear could supply 38% of Australia’s energy needs, complemented by 53% renewables, delivering reliable, always-on power while significantly reducing emissions.
    Global Backing: These findings align with the US Department of Energy’s modeling, which shows nuclear reduces costs by 37% while ensuring grid reliability and sustainability.
    Cost-Effective Infrastructure: Unlike renewables, nuclear energy works with existing infrastructure, avoiding the need for costly new grid upgrades.
    This is a game-changer. Nuclear energy isn’t just an option—it’s the smarter, more affordable choice that Australia needs to embrace.

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  • #
    Neville

    More very obvious data that clueless Albo and B O Bowen, Greens, Teals should try and understand.
    In 2023 China’s annual co2 emissions are about 0.6 billion tons higher than all of the 38 wealthy OECD countries.
    So why are we destroying our economies and why are we rushing so fast to become weak and stupid?
    BTW also have a look at the soaring non OECD countries’ co2 emissions in 2023.

    https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-co2-emissions-per-country?country=OWID_WRL~CHN~AUS~OECD+%28GCP%29~Non-OECD+%28GCP%29

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    Dennis

    All Australians will benefit from the Coalition’s balanced energy mix of renewables + gas + nuclear to replace Labor’s expensive and failing all-eggs-in-one-basket renewables only approach. Shifting to nuclear will keep an always-on source of 24/7 baseload power in the system to drive prices down and keep the lights on while we decarbonise.

    However, introducing zero-emissions nuclear energy will do more than solve the problems created by Labor.

    Zero-emissions nuclear energy will re-energise the Australian economy, build our sovereign capability, and set the nation up for a new era of economic prosperity with cheap, clean and consistent 24/7 power.

    At the front of this next wave of growth will be those communities which host modern zero-emissions nuclear plants.

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      David Maddison

      Why are “renewables” in the mix at all?

      Expensive, unreliable, require subsidies and useless.

      They are economically and environmentally harmful and must be eliminated completely.

      And where is our plentiful coal in this mix?

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        Dennis

        It’s contractural arrangements already in place for installations already in operation.

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      • #
        RickWill

        Expensive, unreliable, require subsidies.

        They do need subsidies to give them an economic return but once the costs are sunk they make money as long as their income outpaces their operating cost. The capital just gets written off.

        The RET ends in 2030 snd it is difficult to see it being extended in the current energy cost climate. The end of the RET being in sight is now weighing heavily on the proponents of grid scale wind and solar along with all the other factors like skyrocketing costs; community awareness of the environmental damage; rooftops having priority access to the market; Snowy 2 being in the distant future and Dutton’s nuclear plan.

        The RET has lost its pulling power already because Bowen is now offering direct support to get projects up – essentially government guarantees on income stream. These costs are now deliberately buried in the Federal budget to hide their true cost. Dutton would be aware of this and it would be foolish to suggest he will abandon these gifts to those selected by Bowen for fear f the political fallout.

        Most people active in the electricity supply industry are now aware that “renewables” come with massive environmental and economic cost. There is a gradual realisation that they have been royaly scammed by globalists in the UN and government employment including academics. The scales have clearly tipped in the USA. The rest of the west will follow in due course. But existing wind and solar power do not need subsidies to keep going. The end of their expansion is in sight apart from rooftop solar and batteries.

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    Dennis

    It is my understanding that the Coalition Plan to stop government playing favourites and supporting for example wind, solar and battery installations with taxpayer funded incentive subsidies and the other disincentives for building new power stations, notably coal fired power stations.

    Classic Menzies Liberal free enterprise market system (also called capitalism) allowing market assessments by investors and their customers.

    The admission of failure of the Labor transition and Renewable Energy Target by Minister Bowen was highlighted by recent admissions that gas generator plants are needed to replace coal fired power stations already shut down and more recently his support to States to negotiate to keep coal fired power stations generating after the planned closure date.

    Obviously existing contracts with already built installations cannot be cancelled without heat penalty compensation paid, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has already indicated that one planned offshore wind installation off Port Stephens NSW will not go ahead if the Coalition is elected.

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    Ross

    The LNP’s energy policy is based on girl maths. You know, the maths when the wife buys that extra pair of shoes (which she didn’t really need) because they were 25 % off marked price. Hence, she saved money. Same here, if we follow the LNP policy we get the grid we don’t really need, but it will be cheaper than the more expensive system proposed by Labor/Greens/Teals. Maybe Libs /Nats, don’t buy those extra pair of shoes in the first place?

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    Peter Fitzroy

    Duttons plan also assumes that we will be using less electricity than forecast, The price of $30 a megawatt hour, is not supported by any analysis and which transmission lines will be decommissioned?

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      Peter, but you know, because you read the posts here that Brown coal is still supplying electricity and winning bids below $30/MWh

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        Peter Fitzroy

        And Brown coal is the most polluting of all coals, particularly heavy metals like mercury, lets not pretend that it is anywhere near a solution

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        • #

          Still stuck in the 1900s, eh Peter?.

          We clean our coal fired emissions with five layers of filters. But you want us to stop using clean coal power so China can burn more. Does China clean their coal fired emissions?

          How is that going to help the environment?

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        Harpy

        Jo, you haven’t responded to Peter’s simple fact that highlights your cherry picking.

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      KP

      “Duttons plan also assumes that we will be using less electricity than forecast, ”

      Has that ever happened? Why would it happen in the future? With all the energy saving in electrical appliances so far, the low-hanging fruit, I’ve never seen electricity usage go down.

      I expect its just political lies as usual. The Uniparty is just a Uniparty, the voters buffoons.

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    DOC

    So who is/are responsible for creating an increasing energy mess.
    Not much good looking at government scientists. They have to be ion the fold to have a job.
    Not much good looking at those electricity engineers working for government. Same problem.
    Not much good looking at AEMO. Same problem.
    Is anyone telling Bowen, or Albanese, or preferably someone anti those two in Labor, it won’t work?
    The Opposition is little better. Those game enough will get ignored and berated by the msm. No job!

    Is there nobody who is the national protector in science, finance or energy prepared to speak up yet? If they have to wait for Trump to do the dirty work then they are too weak for the job. Money and prestige taken on false pretences.

    Anyone in the middle class not in public service, is hurting financially. There is nothing in sight saying things are going to get anything but worse in the near future years. That creates fertile ground for those against what is happening in the national energy system. People are more prepared to listen to arguments on the science of Global Warming and energy systems. There must be credibility based on science and experience, and there needs to be multiple speakers from multiple disciplines and multiple nations all speaking out. That means withstanding the international abuse and threats sure to come and calling it out as based on opinion (false) science ie not science at all.

    There has to be bodies around the world that know the emperor has no clothes. Have they all been bought, willing to betray their nations by following the UN ideology that seeks other arrangements for global management – by the UN of course!?

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    Boambee John

    Dennis

    The current Liars government has not, AFAIK, offered penalty compensation for the gold mine cancelled by Pliberserk for the money already outlawed before she cancelled the approval already given for the project.

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    Neville

    So why is this the coldest period for Mammals since they evolved about 220 million years ago?
    And certainly a big drop in temperature over the last 100 million years.
    Never forget that co2 dropped to just 180 ppm during the last glaciation and just above 150 ppm when plant life starts to die.
    Here’s a recent study of temperatures over the last 420 million years. It’s really cold today and yet we want to reduce co2 levels. Why is that their crazy dream?

    https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk3705

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      Honk R Smith

      “Why is that their crazy dream?”

      Because it has never been about weather or ‘science’.
      Politics.
      And politics is really all about the manufacture of wedge issues.
      Environmentalism, in reality a populist sentiment, had to be wedged out by established authority structures.
      Health advocacy had to wedged out by the Great Pandemic construction.
      (The reason RFK Jr. was pushed into the arms of Trump.)

      “Science D-ny-er”
      “Vaccine D-ny-er”
      “R@cists”
      “Threat to Our Democracy”
      “____phobe”
      Wedges, the fossil fuel of the political class.

      Pandemic flattened the ‘science debate’ (basically the mythical era of enlightened science based egalitarianism) like a squirrel meeting a dump truck.

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  • #
    RickWill

    what grid would get us the cheapest reliable electricity?

    It is quite clear that the grid that existed in the year 2000 gave Australians the lowest cost electricity.

    The turning point to lower cost electricity will only come when voters realise they have been scammed by the UN and other globalists as well as a political party prepared to call out the scam in Trumpian fashion.

    Trump is already treated as the incumbent POTUS. It is encouraging to see the respect he has garnered internationally now compared to the start of his first term. All those who uttered snide remarks about his inept understanding of economics, climate, border security etc are now realising how right he was. Biden was the perfect woke clown to provide the stark contrast needed to jolt the voters in dthe right irection. Also and Blackout are providing the clownish example for Australia but there is no Trump – where is Credlin and/or Abbott when Australia needs them.

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    Penguinite

    “The Opposition’s nuclear plan saves $260 billion, but it’s still 53% renewable”

    This says everything we wanted to know about the so called opposition and the smoke and mirror garbage they are pumping out. They are just Labor in drag!

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    • #
      Graham Richards

      If the coalition’s mandate in the next election is solid & large I believe you will find that the mix of energy generation will lean far moor heavily to the nuclear option & W, S & B wil die a nature death leaving nuclear with a far bigger share of the total.

      Do not scare anybody at this stage with intentions of rubbing renewables out to any great extent. Renewables will fade before 2050!

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  • #
    David of Cooyal in Oz

    Today’s ABC story on the Coalition’s report.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-13/the-devil-in-the-detail-of-dutton-nuclear-costings/104722716

    It may not surprise you that it’s not very supportive.

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  • #

    Let’s just hope that the Coalition is planning a bait & switch.

    10

    • #
      ozfred

      What are the odds that china will undercut the Coalition estimates with turnkey SMR (perhaps thorium) reactors?
      Possibly with free installation if they can use imported Chinese workers?

      10

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    Brad

    The stupidity burns like a magnesium flare, you can’t put it out.

    40

  • #
    markx

    At $58, I can’t build anything to meaningfully prepare for coal to come out of the system.

    And yet there are still people out there preaching that energy from the sun and wind is almost free.

    30

  • #
    Tony Dique

    Renewables plus nuclear equals complete failure. This is a pretty good analysis I think, although I am happy for people to point out any inadequacies and inaccuracies.
    https://jackdevanney.substack.com/p/nuclear-and-windsolar?fbclid=IwAR1vyxWMSEo25Ahwf19SWkEa6jp2yzM4yMC8UqOHDlVJ5Vg-FN_79Kpm7eU

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      Philip

      How do they plan to turn nuclear down when the wind blows and they have to accept the wind?

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      • #
        Dennis

        Reactors use uranium for nuclear fuel. The uranium is processed into small ceramic pellets and stacked together into sealed metal tubes called fuel rods. Typically, more than 200 of these rods are bundled together to form a fuel assembly. A reactor core is typically made up of a couple hundred assemblies, depending on power level.

        Inside the reactor vessel, the fuel rods are immersed in water which acts as both a coolant and moderator. The moderator helps slow down the neutrons produced by fission to sustain the chain reaction.

        Control rods can then be inserted into the reactor core to reduce the reaction rate or withdrawn to increase it.

        10

  • #
    Philip

    Completely black pilled. I give up. This country is finished.

    I call for a Chinese takeover. I work in agriculture, I’ll be okay with them.

    30

  • #
    Anton

    Taking the coal out of coalition…

    21

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    Stevo

    53% renewables equates to 53% backup required at night when there is insufficient wind.
    Yeah, in ya dreams!

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  • #
    TheFool

    [Snip]
    For storage and interrupted elecricity supplying methods there are different types of vanadium redox tech batteries. WA has so much vanadium one can kick it with its own feet. If costs need to be yapped, vanadium is once in a lifetime cost (20/25 years). It is a long term product that creates no profits but is safe and once again WA abounds of it (in 2020 something the Meekatharra vanadium project got put to happen … in a very silent sneaky way as if people are not allowed to know about it, like not to know too there are already at least two companies down south that do make these batteries. Two got given to a small town in the NT to run the whole town (sounded more like … no cake for you but you get these lollies instead for a trial too, so now shut up and be grateful for it all). Free electricity for them all? No idea. Meant to further investigate but so far no go.

    Would like also to point out .. with all the ocean waters that there are all around the coast of our continent … if anybody has noticed … lol …. why not create small power stations where water is pumped up, then heated up, hydrogen and oxygen to be entraped, separating salt from the rest of the sediment that water could carry, turn steam into electricity and then… either sell the now distiled water to mining operations to wash the ore with, to be used to mine that crap of lithium too by the way, or to supply the city with it for public green areas watering, sports buildings showers and toilets, artificial ponds, fountains, jeee your imagination is your only limit indeed, or … just re use that water over n over n over.

    Ps … water is not ‘made’ of H and O product, but carries gasses too, mostly H and O. … water is not a product but along with fire and air, is one of the three elements when and only when combined all together, there is all the rest that now can happen, like carbon based life. Therefore being an element that exists in nature in its own right and not a forking vulgar product out of combining somehow now the liquid O with the liquid H … no person is allowed to claim ownership and therefore no person is allowed to sell it to whoever in whatever circumstances ever .. cause it is not its to sell for it is not the creator of. See what stereotypes and cliche’s do to one’s brain? See what no questioning ever does to one’ brain? They box the brain in.

    [snip]

    Ps look up batteries made with sand in a tin container heated up with a solar panel. Multimeter to check the voltage and when hits 220 V put the wires of an appliances into the sand … and then … and then anyone can experiment this at home. Sand batteries are already getting trialed to run a conglomeration of four two stories housing, and an entire town. Salt batteries are financed cause money can be made out of them, sand not so … it is up to a mayor or a real estate developer to be interested in having one set up.

    Solutions are out there simple clean and almost for free. But one needs a grown up device to research this important subject …
    Hope all this bla bla is of help.
    So long Patriots 🙂

    [Sorry, had to chop. 1347 words is 3 x too long. – Jo]

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