Wow..
"Is it going to drive down electricity bills? Is it going to ensure the system remains reliable? Is it going to set us up for a more prosperous future?"On all of those three questions, nuclear did not meet the threshold for us in New South Wales."
The comments expose a rift in the party on the issue, with federal leader Peter Dutton signalling nuclear will be a central plank in the opposition's energy policy.
Matt Kean, a former NSW treasurer and energy minister, told the ABC's Q+A on Monday that nuclear failed his assessment on cost and supply, comments which put him at odds with federal Liberal Party colleagues pushing the technology.
Mr Kean, now serving as a shadow minister for health, says federal Liberal policy "is a matter for them", but "I think they need to explain" the viability of nuclear power.
"In New South Wales, there were three tests we applied for our energy policy and nuclear did not meet those tests," he said.
On Monday, Mr Kean described nuclear as "hugely costly" and a front for those against renewable energy.
"As we looked more into it, we found nuclear was a Trojan horse for the coal industry, wanting to keep coal going, and it denied transition to an industry that allowed lower bills," he said.
