Australia's Nuclear Energy Plans Could Face Decades Of Delays, Inquiry Hears

Australia's quest for energy independence is reportedly facing major roadblocks, with a parliamentary inquiry hearing that nuclear power plants may take another 10-15 years to establish, while facilities for disposing of high-level waste could require twice as long.

The predictions were revealed during Canberra's Nuclear Power Generation inquiry on Thursday, The Australian Associated Press reported.

Department of Energy spokeswoman Clare McLaughlin said, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, building nuclear waste facilities could take decades and power plants at least 15-years.

"Their estimation is ... if there were to be a removal of the moratorium (on nuclear energy), the soonest that Australia could conceivably be producing nuclear power would be in the late 2030s," she said. "You're talking about a range between 2035 and 2040 and some of that will depend on the period that you take for community consultation, as well as establishing the regulatory and institutional frameworks that you need to do to implement that policy."

The inquiry came days after federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton proposed seven nuclear power plants, but major information on cost or delivery timelines was missing.

Dutton's "coal-to-nuclear plan" envisions launching seven emissions-free nuclear plants across Australia from 2035 to help reach net zero by 2050.

However, Australian Energy Regulator chair Clare Savage noted that the nuclear energy plants will follow the coal plants' complete phase-out, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

"We cannot keep the current coal fleet running long enough for nuclear to be here," Savage told the hearing.

Since more than half of Australia's electricity is produced by coal-fired power plants, a prompt switch to nuclear energy is required by 2035, when coal units are expected to retire.