CANBERRA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's first nuclear power plants would be operational by 2037 under a plan put forward by the nation's opposition leader.
Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal-National Coalition, on Wednesday announced his plan to build seven nuclear power stations around Australia if elected Prime Minister at the next general election.
Under the plan, the first two plants would be operational by 2037, with the remaining five online by 2050.
Dutton said all the nuclear power plants would be built at locations where there are currently power stations that have closed or are scheduled to do so and that the facilities would be government-owned.
All the proposed sites are on the Australian mainland, with two each in the eastern states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland -- Dutton's home state -- and one each in south-eastern Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Dutton said in a statement that the locations offered important attributes for a zero-emissions nuclear power plant, including cooling water capacity, existing transmission infrastructure and local communities with skilled workforces.
"Every Australian deserves and should expect access to cheaper, cleaner and consistent electricity," he said.
"Of the world's 20 largest economies, Australia is the only one not using nuclear energy, or moving towards it."
The federal government has had a ban on nuclear power in place in 1998 that would have to be overturned for Dutton's plan to go ahead.
Queensland, NSW and Victoria also have their own bans in place, but Dutton said he would work with the state premiers on the issue.
The governing federal Labor Party as well as the incumbent leaders of all three states have previously ruled out repealing the bans.
Appearing on state media Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio on Wednesday, PM Anthony Albanese said Dutton's plan overlooks Australia's renewable energy potential.
"It'll be a taxpayer funded nuclear fantasy," he said.
"Here in Australia, we have the best solar resources in the world."
A report published by national science agency the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in May found that a large-scale nuclear reactor in Australia would generate electricity at more than twice the cost of onshore wind farms and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in 2040. ■
