Plan or mirage? Collie locals still in the dark on nuclear power proposal
In a coal mining town earmarked for one of the Coalition’s proposed nuclear power plants, some locals say it represents an “unnecessary U-turn” from efforts to rebrand the town’s image.
Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth, sits at the heart of the state’s coal mining and power generation infrastructure.
Under the limited information released by the Coalition so far, the town would require a small modular reactor (SMR), meaning it would likely be the last of the seven proposed plants constructed and unlikely to be online until well into the 2040s.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has said the plant would generate “thousands of jobs” for Collie, but is yet to provide details, cost or a timeline for its construction.
The town’s federal Liberal MP Rick Wilson initially said the plant would cost between $5-7 billion before publicly backtracking from those figures.
Federal Parliament’s inquiry into nuclear power generation in Australia is set to hold a hearing in Collie on Monday, representing the first chance for locals to directly query the proposal.
Community leaders have repeatedly stated public opinion remains mixed, while Mr Wilson has pointed to a social media survey and mailout run by his staff to claim public support as high as 67 per cent.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton walks past a group of protesters during a visit to Collie. (ABC News)
Costings release provides few answers
The coalition delivered its costings of the seven proposed nuclear power plants on Friday, with an estimated price tag of more than $300 billion.
The modelling, prepared by Frontier Economics and questioned by analysts, saw Mr Dutton argue his plan represented a demonstrably cheaper alternative to the government’s focus on renewables, by including nuclear in the Australian National Electricity Market.
The modelling’s focus is firmly on the east coast, with no further detail available on the Collie proposal beyond the suggestion the Coalition would seek to keep current coal infrastructure operating longer.
Robert Barr, a power systems consultant and member of the lobby group Nuclear for Australia, said Collie was a special case.
“You’d be looking at a small modular reactor, probably two of them and possibly in the order of 300 megawatts in size,” Dr Barr said.
“But there’s a lot of learnings that can come from this Frontier Report that you could apply directly to the WA situation.”
The CSIRO’s GenCost report, released last week, highlighted the lengthy time-frame required for the SMR technology needed in Collie, which is still being researched and developed.
“Developers will need to purchase the technology in the 2030s sometime after pre-construction tasks are completed,” the report states.
“A practical operation date would be by the 2040s.”
Dr Barr said 2035 was the earliest he could see an SMR generating power in Collie, a scenario that would see Collie’s state-owned coal assets in operation for at least another five years.
But he said WA faced significant challenges whichever energy plan was adopted.
“There’s going to be difficulties in taking that coal plant out of service and keeping the lights on in Western Australia … under any plan because the system is not as strong as it used to be,” Dr Barr said.
“It’s going to take some very tricky management to get through the next 5-10 years.”
Inquiry to open floor to questions
Next year’s dual state and federal elections are shaping up as a referendum on the community’s preferred path into the future.
Mining and Energy Union district secretary Greg Busson is hopeful the hearing will help fill in blanks for local residents and workers.
“We haven’t had a proper proposal, there has been no consultation or communication with anyone in town,” Mr Busson said.
“About the only thing we have been told is that if it does go ahead, it won’t be ready until about 2050.
Collie’s coal assets in mining and power generation are set to be closed by 2030. (ABC South West WA: Anthony Pancia)
“The absence of information has caused a fair bit of speculation about what the future holds for Collie.”
Medicinal cannabis producer Cannaponics has invested close to $39 million in its facility in Collie, counting itself among the largest enterprise drawn to Collie by the WA government’s campaign to attract post-coal investment.
Cannaponics director Rod Zakostelsky said the Coalition’s plan represented an “unecessary U-turn” from the town’s current development.
He said he believed the prospect of a nuclear plant in town could dissuade other sectors from investing in the community.
“It is definitely going in the opposite direction. Green renewables is the journey we seem to be on,” Mr Zakostelsky said.
Muja continues to provide the bulk of power for WA’s largest electricity grid. (ABC News: Anthony Pancia)
WA Premier Roger Cook urged Mr Dutton to “be honest” about the full cost and timeline of his plans for Collie.
“Is he really intending to introduce nuclear power to Western Australia where we don’t need it, or is this simply just a distraction by him because we know at the end of the day he doesn’t believe in climate change?” Mr Cook said.
“His whole nuclear power proposal is just a mirage.”
Preparing for the hearing
Collie Shire President Ian Miffling said his local government was yet to take a position on the nuclear proposal.
He said with no formal survey into the matter, it was hard to gauge how the community felt.
He said he would be going to Monday’s meeting but had declined an invitation to speak.
Climate Justice Union’s local Indigenous spokesperson Stevie Anderson is against the nuclear proposal. (ABC News: Ruby Littler)
Climate Justice Union Indigenous spokesperson Stevie Anderson said elders and traditional owners in Collie would not sign off on the idea.
“Since forever, Aboriginal people protect their country … nuclear is something else that is going to destroy country,” she said.
Ms Anderson said she would be attending Monday’s meeting with two Collie elders to show they are unified and want to be heard.
Mr Dutton’s office has been contacted for comment.
