August 4, 2025
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Decarbonization urgently calls for a substantial replacement of coal-fired power with carbon free energy in the global energy landscape. However, the prevailing substitution of coal with variable renewable energy cannot be implemented universally due to possible higher cost and lack of power system flexibility. What is more, inheriting coal power workers and surrounding communities are facing challenges. Therefore, we emphasize the unique value of coal to nuclear (C2N) in the energy transition by investigating 9,470 coal-fired power units globally. We identified 14.3% (i.e., 371.6 GW) of them can be prioritized for C2N. The currently available nuclear technologies are feasible for C2N in three ways. A competitive LCOE of 71.84∼101.48 US$/MWh could be a strong driver when compared to coal+carbon capture & storage. Overall, C2N offers multifaceted benefits and it can be a good supplementary to prevailing solar and wind renewables.