Experts in nuclear safety, defence technology and energy supply are expected to appear at the Nuclear Power Generation inquiry on Thursday, following months of fierce political argument over Australia's energy future.
The inquiry comes five months after federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton announced plans to establish nuclear power plants in seven Australian locations if his party won government at the next election.
But details of a switch to nuclear power, including how much seven power plants would cost to build and when they would be operational, have yet to be revealed.
The inquiry, established on October 10, promises to investigate the financial, technical and legal implications of a switch to nuclear energy, as well as potential environmental impacts.
Representatives from the CSIRO, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, and the Australian Energy Regulator are among those expected to testify before the committee at its first hearing.
The coalition proposes building nuclear plants on the sites of existing and retired coal stations. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
People from regional communities that would be directly affected by nuclear power plants would also have a say at the inquiry, Labor MP and chair Dan Repacholi said, as many had expressed concern about the technology.
"I want to make sure the regions that have powered our country for generations are getting a fair deal when it comes to the energy transformation," he said.
"It's time to hear from the experts."
Under Mr Dutton's plans, nuclear power plants would be established on the sites of existing and retired coal-fired power plants at Mount Piper and Liddell in NSW, Loy Yang in Victoria, Tarong and Callide in Queensland, Port Augusta in South Australia, and Collie in Western Australia.
Small modular nuclear reactors, he said, could start producing electricity from 2035.
But the CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator contradicted that timeline in its GenCost report, which found "due to the current state of the development pipeline in Australia ... the earliest deployment would be from 2040".
Nuclear power plants, if deployed, would replace plans to generate more renewable energy from developments such as large-scale solar farms, industrial wind turbines, and hydroelectricity plants.
The inquiry will accept public submissions until November 15.
