Dutton says his nuclear plan is cheaper than renewables. Is he right?

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton ended months of speculation on Friday over the costings of his nuclear energy plan when he stepped to the lectern of a hastily convened press conference in Brisbane on Friday and declared his vision for the energy system was 44 per cent cheaper than the governments.

Dutton’s claims kicked off a war of words with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who on Friday rubbished nuclear as the “most expensive form of new energy generation”.

The opposition claims the government’s ambitious vision to boost renewables to about 94 per cent of the grid by 2050 is “reckless” and unachievable and vastly overestimates future energy needs.

The government counters that Dutton’s scaled-down vision relies on four million Australians being denied the opportunity to add solar panels to their roofs, and millions fewer electric vehicles on the roads.