Fact Checks & Fallacies

Claim: "Energy experts have warned the cost of Labor’s [renewables] rollout will be between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion."

Fact: The report quoted calculated the estimated cost of reaching net zero across the entire economy, not just the electricity grid. AEMO forecasts that the cost of reaching 82 per cent renewables ..... largely driven by private investment ..... will cost $121 billion in today’s money.

Conclusion: misleading and deceptive statement.

Claim: "Labor’s [renewables] approach requires ..... up to 28,000 kilometres of new transmission lines across the country."

Fact: AEMO estimates that about 10,000 km of new transmission lines will be required to support electricity generation (from all sources) trebling by 2050.

Conclusion: pure lie

Claim: ".....locations offer ..... cooling water capacity and transmission infrastructure ..... can use the existing poles and wires, along with a local skilled workforce."

Fact: Existing transmission lines are already fully committed with fossil fuel and renewables generation load so new lines will still be needed for any new capacity.

Fact: Nuclear generation requires twice the amount of water per energy unit produced when compared to the average fossil fuel generation water use.

Fact: water flows in the Latrobe River basis are in long-term decline at the same time as water demand from agriculture and population growth increase.

Conclusion: misleading and deceptive statement.

Claim: "[nuclear] proven to get electricity prices and emissions down all over the world"

Fact: Electricity from new-build nuclear plants is 2-3 times the cost of any other form of generation.

Fact: Some countries do have cheaper nuclear power BUT this is from old/end of life reactors.

Conclusion: misleading and deceptive statement.

Claim: "Each reactor produces less than a Coke can of radioactive waste per year."

Fact: The original claim was "one Coke can per person per year".

Fact: Typical reactors produces 30-40 tonnes of radioactive waste per year, including high-level radioactive waste toxic to humans for tens of thousands of years, and weapons-grade plutonium.

Fact: This waste needs to be stored on-site for 6-10 years before it could be moved.

Fact: Nearly all reactors are forced to permanently store this waste on-site.

Conclusion: a grossly irresponsible misleading and deceptive statement.

Claim: "Construction could begin in late 2027 and would take 10 years for a large-scale reactor."

Fact: This would require Australia to perform 30% better than current world's best practice for constructing nuclear power station.

Fact: The IAEA Milestones Approach says countries should expect to take 10-15 years before they are ready to let construction contracts. It also identifies 19 nuclear infrastructure issues to be addressed, including oversight, waste management, environmental protection, emergency planning, etc.

Fact: Nearly all recent Western reactor projects have run 3-10 years late and over budget by 2-4 times with build costs typically $15-20 billion per Gigawatt of capacity.

Conclusion: misleading and deceptive statement.