Sydney to lead way in giving coal the boot

Sydney is to become the first city in Australia to start weaning itself off coal-fired electricity, with a switch to gas-driven power plants.

The leaders of the G8 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- said they shared a "vision" of reducing emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050. (AAP)

Sydney is to become the first Australian city to start weaning itself off coal-fired electricity.

The business district and most of the inner city is preparing to switch to small, gas-driven power plants in the next twenty years under a City of Sydney masterplan to be released on Thursday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The plan will identify 15 "low carbon zones" based on trigeneration plants that create electricity and also generate heat and cold for air-conditioning.

The switch could save up to $1.5 billion in state government spending on new infrastructure for bringing power from coal-fired plants, a report commissioned by the council said.

The news comes amid a renewed debate over nuclear, while chief scientist Penny Sackett urged Australia to look at "a suite of energy options ... in the face of an uncertain future."