Australia's Albanese pledges A$2.3 billion to help homeowners buy solar batteries

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday pledged A$2.3 billion ($1.39 billion) to help homeowners buy batteries to store solar power and lower their energy costs, a major issue in the May 3 general election.

Albanese's centre-left Labor runs neck-and-neck in opinion polls with the Liberal-National opposition led by Peter Dutton, who has campaigned on a plan to lower power bills by forcing LNG gas producers to divert some exports to domestic consumption.

On Sunday, Albanese said in a statement that his proposal would save households about A$4,000 or 30% on the installed cost of a typical energy-storage battery.

"The battery will be installed at home and store power from solar panels for the household to use when needed," the prime minister said.

One in three Australian households now has solar panels but only one in 40 has a battery, according to the government.

Nationals leader David Littleproud told Australian Broadcasting Corp television that the measure would aid "only a select few" and do little to help renters and pensioners with their power bills.

Under the opposition plan, gas exporters on Australia's east coast would be forced to direct 10% to 20% more product to the domestic market. Longer-term, the conservative coalition wants Australia to adopt nuclear power.

Albanese, after enjoying a healthy lead for much of his term, now has personal approval ratings near those of Dutton, a former police officer and the defence minister in the last conservative government.

($1 = 1.6554 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)