Proposed nuclear power plants in Queensland could not access enough water to prevent a meltdown, research finds

About 1,000 times the combined capacity of Wivenhoe and Boondooma dams was required to cool Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactors in 2011

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Proposed nuclear power plants in Queensland would not have access to enough water to stop a nuclear meltdown and could strain capacity on drinking water and irrigation supplies even under normal operations, research has found.

Analysis by the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) has found that one of the two nuclear reactors proposed for the sunshine state under the energy plan that the Coalition will take to the upcoming federal election would require double the water currently used by the existing Callide coal-fired power station. The other, Tarong, would use 55% more water than its existing coal station.

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