Nuclear power sparks Australian election battle

SYDNEY: Rich in solar and wind power, and bulging in critical minerals for renewable energy technology, Australia touts itself as a leader in the race to net zero carbon emissions.

But a political battle is being waged ahead of Saturday´s elections over whether to change Australia´s trajectory and add nuclear reactors to the mix for the first time.

The row is reminiscent of the “climate wars” -- a years-long political face-off over the need to slash carbon emissions -- that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to end when he took power three years ago.

Australia sits on some of the world´s largest uranium reserves but it has legally banned nuclear power generation for a quarter of a century.

In the run-up to Saturday´s vote, conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton announced a US$200 billion plan to build seven large-scale nuclear reactors by 2050.

His proposal would ramp up gas production, slow the rollout of solar and wind projects, and ditch the clean energy goals set by Albanese´s centre-left government.

Dutton says nuclear power would be cheaper and more reliable than renewable energy. “I haven´t committed to nuclear energy for votes. I committed to it because it´s in the best interest of our country,” he said in a televised leaders´ debate.

Interest in nuclear power is growing internationally as nations struggle to cut their dependence on fossil fuels. Thirty-one countries including the United States, France and Britain have signed up to a pledge to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050.