When asked about his views on nuclear power on Monday, Kean said he had received no advice indicating that nuclear power was a viable option in a net-zero emissions future.
“As NSW Energy Minister in 2019 … I was told on my first day on the job that in the next decade … coal-fired power stations would come to an end and we needed a mechanism to replace that capacity. We looked at all options, including nuclear,” he said.
Matt Kean after being appointed as the new chairman of the Climate Change Authority.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“The advice I got at the time, which was most compelling, was from the Chief Scientist of NSW, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, and he is one of the few people in the country who has run a nuclear program… [He said] it would take too long and be too expensive for NSW.”
Kean cited advice from CSIRO and AEMO to point out that wind and solar farms are the cheapest sources of electricity.
“They say very clearly that the cheapest way to transition our electricity system is to move towards renewables, with the support of affirmation and also storage. That's what the CSIRO says, that's what the AEMO says, that's the available evidence, I'm not aware of anything different,” Kean said.
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Kean resigned last week after 13 years in the NSW parliament. While the climate wars engulfed his federal coalition counterparts, Kean managed to lead the NSW government to an ambitious emissions reduction target, earning the ire of the Conservatives and some of his colleagues in Canberra.
As NSW Energy Minister between April 2019 and March 2023, he was instrumental in setting a higher climate target for NSW than the former Morrison government's national target. It committed NSW to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and 75% by 2035, and boosted investment in renewables by designating special areas for project development across the state.
Kean will replace Grant King, who is a former managing director of Origin Energy and former president of the Business Council of Australia.
