Publisher: IAEA (Webinar Series)
Date: April 5, 2023
Speakers: Aline des Cloizeaux; Henri Paillere; Kirsty Gogan; Łukasz Bartela; Yaoli Zhang
Intro-summary
IAEA’s webinar outlines technical pathways and economics for coal‑to‑nuclear repurposing, framing nuclear as a dispatchable, low‑carbon backbone that can reuse coal sites and assets to accelerate decarbonization. It highlights repowering options (on‑site replacement of the heat source, brownfield builds reusing grid/cooling), potential overnight capital cost savings of roughly 20–35% versus greenfield depending on coupling option, and sensitivity to capacity factor, project lifetime, and permitting timelines.
TerraPraxis presents a “productized” repowering model targeting ~$2,000/kWe and ~5‑year schedules via standardized designs, thermal storage coupling, and a digital Evaluate tool; DEsire project cases show Polish coal units repowered with high‑temperature reactors and TES achieving significant reuse of steam cycles and civil/electrical structures. China-focused analysis underscores HTR‑PM suitability and a staged coastal‑first approach.
Mission relevance
Standardized coal‑to‑nuclear pathways that reuse sites, steam cycles, and interconnections shorten timelines and reduce cost and risk, aligning with repowering objectives while supporting just transition outcomes.