A Sydney Harbour’s worth of extra water will be needed each year by the Coalition’s proposed nuclear reactors, according to federal government analysis that opens a new front in the political fight over Peter Dutton’s signature energy policy.
After focusing most of their attacks on the economic arguments against nuclear, Labor will pivot on Thursday to warn of serious implications for water supply, particularly in regional communities.
Nuclear reactors require substantial amounts of water for cooling, with estimates showing a 1,600MW facility consumes roughly 2,000 litres a second.
New government analysis supplied to Guardian Australia suggests the Coalition’s plan to replace retired coal-fired power stations with nuclear power plants would require an additional 508,000 megalitres – approximately the equivalent volume of Sydney Harbour – each year.
The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, and the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, challenged the Coalition to explain where in a “drought-stricken” nation the water would be sourced.
“Where will the water come from and who will pay for it? Will farmers foot the bill? Or are they going to leave communities without a reliable drinking water supply? What happens during drought?” Plibersek said.
“It [nuclear] is too slow, too expensive, puts up bills – and will put people’s access to water at risk.”
Bowen said water was the “most precious” resource in Australia.
“Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world – and due to climate change it’s only going to get drier,” he said.
“Peter Dutton needs to find a Sydney Harbour-sized reservoir of water every year to keep his nuclear reactors stable and running.”
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, had previously rejected a similar attack from Labor, insisting supplies would be restricted to the existing water entitlements for the coal plants.
The new analysis was based on several assumptions, starting with a 2018 Australian National University study that suggested nuclear power plants use 1.4 times as much water as coal-fired power stations.
The six coal-powered plant locations in the national energy market earmarked for a nuclear reactor under the Coalition’s plan produce 48 terawatt hours of electricity each year, consuming 168,000 megalitres of water.
The Frontier Economics modelling underpinning Dutton’s plan forecast nuclear would more than double the output to 104 terawatt hours, therefore requiring more than twice the volume of water, according to the government.
The government’s analysis multiplied its projected water volume figure by 1.4, producing the 508,000 megalitre sum.
The government has also noted that two of the proposed nuclear sites – Port Augusta in South Australia and Collie in Western Australia – do not have existing water licences.
The water supply analysis is the latest research Labor has deployed to attack the Coalition’s nuclear ambition.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, in December warned the opposition’s plan would cause a $4tn hit to the national economy by 2050.
That figure was based on an assumption that the electricity grid would be smaller under the Coalition’s preferred path to net zero.
Source: www.theguardian.com