Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed to build seven nuclear power plants across Australia if he wins this year's federal election. The plan is for five large-scale reactors (including one in the Latrobe Valley) and two small-scale modular reactors.

So, how much do we actually know about the proposed nuclear site?

1. Where would the Latrobe Valley nuclear reactor be located?

The proposed nuclear site would be at Loy Yang Power Station on the outskirts of Traralgon, which is currently operating as a brown coal-fired thermal power station.

2. How long would it take to build?

The Coalition estimates it could have the first large-scale nuclear reactor built by 2037. 

It hasn’t yet been made clear when a Latrobe Valley nuclear reactor would be built and operational.

Even if it is chosen as the first site, experts question whether 2037 is a realistic completion date.

The CSIRO estimates that “the total development time in Australia for large or small-scale nuclear is at least 15 years”.

3. How much would it cost?

We would be staring down a bill of $331 billion for all seven reactors, the Coalition claims, but this figure is disputed.

A recent government draft report found that nuclear power “is currently not a viable investment of taxpayer money”.

Analysis from the Climate Council found that the Coalition’s scheme would cost up to $490 billion more than they have estimated, which would take the total cost of construction to $821 billion.

Under the Coalition plan the reactors would be taxpayer-funded.

4. How many jobs would it create?

A preliminary parliamentary report indicated that “the inclusion of nuclear power in Australia’s low-emission energy mix would further deliver up to 37,000 operational and construction jobs over the assumed scenario period 2020 to 2050”.

Many of the jobs would likely be in the construction phase, but there would also be opportunities for scientists, engineers, power station managers and those who work in security, health and safety.

5. Where would the nuclear waste be stored?

Nuclear reactors operate by using fission: the splitting of uranium atoms, which produces heat and thereby energy and electricity. Once the uranium has been used up it is considered “spent”, which means it is no longer useful in producing energy. However it is still radioactive and must be disposed of safely.

There are different classes of nuclear waste, depending on how much radiation it emits. Nuclear power plants produce high-level waste that can remain radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years. 

There are either “wet” or “dry” options for storing waste. Wet storage requires the waste to be placed under several metres of water in order to keep it cool. Dry storage involves putting the waste in concrete or steel containers.

But how do you guarantee long-term safety when the method employed can be susceptible to corrosion and natural disasters such as cyclones, fires and floods?

6. Would nuclear energy lower our energy bills?

Dutton claims that by going nuclear there would be “a 44% reduction, or of that order, being passed through in energy bill relief”.

It’s not clear where these savings would come from. The CSIRO has found the cost of electricity generated from nuclear reactors by 2040 would be about $145-$238 per MWh, compared to $22-$53 for solar, and $45-$78 for wind.

Analysis from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis shows that building nuclear power plants could increase electricity bills by an average of $665 annually, and by $972 for a family of four.