Retrofitting Coal Power Plants With Small Modular Reactors Will Reduce Their Implementation Costs

According to the report “Can Advanced Nuclear Repower Coal Country?” released this month by the Bipartisan Policy Centre, small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plants built on the sites of retiring coal power plants could reduce the cost of their construction by 15-35%.

The report indicates that SMRs can reuse coal plant electrical equipment and steam cycle components, which, combined with the reuse of transmission lines and administrative buildings, can reduce SMR construction costs by 15-35%.

If a nuclear project employs only the infrastructure of power lines, roads and administrative buildings, it can still cut overall construction costs by 10% and avoid some of the permitting issues associated with new power transmission projects.

SMR flexible output levels that allow developers to match the capacity of a decommissioned coal-fired power plant with the capacity constraints of equipment are among the advantages listed in the report. Additionally, SMRs require small land usage to build, making them suitable for the repurposing of a decommissioned coal plant.

Coal power plant retrofitting will also bring benefits for the labour force. Around 77% of the analysed positions at coal-fired power plants, including mechanics, maintenance workers, electricians and security guards, could be transferred to nuclear power plant positions without any additional licensing or experience requirements. The remaining 23% of jobs, including operators, senior managers and technicians, require licensing, four years of experience in nuclear power plants or extensive retraining.

Thus, the upgrading of coal-fired power plants will contribute to building up the human resource capacity and new financing opportunities. Investments in nuclear power can help create high-paying jobs, accelerate the deployment of reliable, clean energy, and preserve the heritage of power generation in a coal country.