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Coalition MPs dismissed International Energy Agency (IEA) chief's opinion that Australia should prioritize on the renewable energy sources than invest in new nuclear projects.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, IEA executive director, Dr Fatih Birol, said discussions around nuclear "can be made more factual, less emotional and political", stressing Australia should prioritize the "untapped potential in solar and wind", The Guardian reported.

After the Albanese government announced its "future gas strategy", on Thursday, that would facilitate the production and exploration of the fossil fuel, the opposition plans to unveil its own nuclear energy policy before the next federal elections. Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said the Coalition's goal was to plan for a "gradual transition from coal to nuclear, gas and renewables built in the right place and in the right concentration".

An IEA report released this year predicted that more countries, such as France, Japan, China, India and South Korea, would be investing in nuclear power generation in a shift from fossil fuel industries. Birol said Australia should refrain from adopting a similar strategy.

While the opposition climate change and energy spokesperson, Ted O'Brien, agreed Australia was "blessed with comparative advantages in energy", he said the Coalition had "comprehensively assessed" options and concluded "there is no credible pathway to reaching net zero by 2050 while keeping the lights on and prices down without zero-emissions nuclear energy".

Keith Pitt of The Nationals too dismissed Birol's advice as coming from a "Paris-based" commentator, saying the IEA has had "more positions on energy advice to Australia than the Kama Sutra".