Energy Minister Chris Bowen has dismissed the Coalition's nuclear power fantasy. 

The remarks came in response to Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Ted O'Brien's, optimistic assertion that, with the right expertise, Australia could join the ranks of nuclear-powered nations within ten years.

“The best experts around the world with whom we've been engaging are saying Australia could have nuclear up and running within a 10-year period,” O'Brien stated during a Sky News interview. 

Mr Bowen has responded with a quip from the film The Castle on ABC's Insiders; “Tell 'im he's dreamin'.”

Bowen questioned the feasibility of such a timeline, highlighting the complexities and lengthy processes involved in nuclear development, even in countries with well-established nuclear sectors. 

“With a very developed regulatory regime, with a very developed nuclear industry [in] the nuclear leader of the world, the average build time of a nuclear power plant in the United States is 19 years,” Bowen elaborated, stressing Australia's lack of a nuclear framework and the existing total ban on nuclear energy.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is preparing to unveil the Coalition's nuclear policy, emphasising transparency with potential reactor locations. 

Dutton says there would be strategic advantage in situating nuclear facilities at retiring coal plant sites, leveraging existing infrastructure to distribute power. 

Despite these plans, Bowen says the Coalition's proposals are flimsy under scrutiny.

Dr Dylan McConnell, a senior researcher at UNSW, echoed scepticism towards the viability of nuclear power in Australia, particularly within the accelerated timelines and financial projections suggested by the Coalition. 

McConnell says there have been technological advancements and safety improvements in nuclear energy, but underscored the prohibitive costs and lengthy timelines incompatible with urgent climate goals.

“Nuclear energy is three to four times the cost of renewable energy, so why would anyone pay this premium?” McConnell asks.

Some see Dutton’s nuclear campaign as an effort to protect fossil fuel interests, who have been major donors to the opposition party.