The proposal would establish a civil nuclear power program in Australia with nuclear plants to be built at 7 locations, completed by 2050. Two establishment projects would be chosen and completed in the mid 2030’s followed by the remaining buildout of projects through to 2050.

The 2 establishment projects would use either modern large reactor designs such as AP1000 or APR1400, or small modular reactors (SMR’s) The plants would begin producing electricity by 2035 (for SMR’s) or 2037 (for large scale plants).

The proposal commits to the following elements:

• Establishing a regulatory environment by expanding and boosting the capability of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) to licence and regulate civilian nuclear power stations.
• Establishing a Nuclear Energy Coordinating Authority (Coordinating Authority) and developing plans for a national nuclear fuels laboratory and nuclear training facility.
• Community consultation at the 7 locations identified for nuclear power plants.
• Establish a Government Business Enterprise (GBE), financed by the Australian Government, through $36.4 billion in equity through to 2035, rising to a total of $118.2 billion through to 2050. The GBE, through partnership with experienced international nuclear companies, will own, develop and operate the establishment projects.

The proposal would start on 1 July 2025.