Posted by 
Experts have once again cast serious doubt on the viability of nuclear energy in Australia, with a new CSIRO report finding it would likely be more than twice as expensive than using renewables.
The latest version of the GenCost report, published this morning, concluded a mix of solar and wind power with firming is the cheapest form of energy production, and will remain so well into the future.
It found nuclear presents "no unique cost advantage over other technologies".
READ MORE: Warning as snakes seek cool shelter from summer
"Similar cost savings can be achieved with shorter-lived technologies, including renewables, even when accounting for the need to build them twice," CSIRO chief energy economist and report lead author Paul Graham said.
"The lack of an economic advantage is due to the substantial nuclear re-investment costs required to achieve long operational life."
The report found renewables with firming produced power at a cost of $98-$150 per megawatt-hour (MWh) this year, and is set to drop to between $67-$137 in 2030.
Large-scale nuclear generation has a cost, on the other hand, of between $155-$252, which is set to only drop to $150-$245, while the respective figures for nuclear small modular reactors are more expensive again at $400-$663 and $285-$487.
READ MORE: 'Evil and antisemitic': Melbourne synagogue fire likely a 'terrorist attack'
The findings come as the federal opposition prepares to release the long-awaited costings for its proposal to build seven nuclear power plants.
Asked about the report, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton didn't answer whether his party's plan would push up power prices, instead questioning the methodology used by the CSIRO.
"The assumptions and the methodology have been disputed before… they were disputed before, and do you know what? They haven't even seen our plan yet, and yet they're out bagging it," he said.
The national science agency has changed its methodology used to assess nuclear power costs, to the point it gives the technology "extremely generous" assumptions, emeritus professor Ian Lowe said.
READ MORE: This is exactly how much the average Aussie worker earns per week
"The study confirms the view of the electricity industry that solar and wind with storage are much cheaper than any nuclear power station would generate, even with extremely generous assumptions about the costs and operating life of nuclear reactors," he said.
Western Sydney University's Dr Thomas Longden said there are a number of issues facing nuclear power.
"For nuclear to achieve the lowest levelized cost of electricity, it needs to be built big and operate all the time and for a long time," he said.
"Yet, the bigger it gets; the more upfront cost needs to be paid. And if it isn't used as often or as long as expected, then it gets more costly.
"The true cost of nuclear will be revealed over a long time and is subject to construction costs, plus there's also the issue of operational, fuel, and waste costs, which will be higher for nuclear."
READ MORE: Woolworths says strike dealt $140 million blow
Energy expert Ken Baldwin noted the report showed the cost of solar and battery storage has significantly decreased, while wind, coal and particularly gas have increased.
"Solar and wind remain the cheapest form of electricity generation, even when taking into account the additional cost of firming with storage, and the additional transmission costs," he said.
"This cost advantage over nuclear is projected to widen over the coming decades – especially by the earliest date that nuclear could foreseeably be expected to operate in Australia in the late 2030s, given the projected lead time of around 15 years."
Dutton promised to unveil the Coalition's nuclear costings later this week.
