DOE contemplates benefits of converting coal power plant sites to nuclear

As clean, renewable energy deployment picks up speed and talk of setting the coal industry alongside its fossil forebears grows, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) produced a new study this week that investigated the potential gains of converting former coal sites to nuclear producers.

In “Investigating Benefits and Challenges of Converting Retiring Coal Plants into Nuclear Plants,” the DOE determined that such a measure could be pursued for hundreds of former coal power plant sites nationwide. While the current U.S. nuclear fleet amounts to approximately 95 GW of combined capacity, the report noted that converting coal sites could help the industry reach a capacity of more than 350 GW. As nuclear power already supplies half of the country’s emissions-free electricity, such a transition could rapidly expand clean energy offerings.

The DOE also said that these efforts’ economic and environmental improvements could particularly benefit disadvantaged communities disproportionately harmed by fossil fuel pollution.

The team involved in the report identified 157 retired coal plant sites and 237 operating coal plants as potential candidates for a coal to nuclear (C2N) transition. They were weighted based on 10 parameters, including population density, distance from seismic fault lines, flooding potential, and more. After all, nuclear plants bring with them a different set of inherent safety concerns than coal plants.

Among those surveyed, the team determined that 80 percent of potential sites – amounting to more than 250 GW of generating capacity – would be suitable for nuclear power plant deployment. As the report did not take into account ownership of existing plants, the existing coal power plant infrastructure, and other concerns that could make for siting headaches. However, the report authors added that more investigations would be required before a full picture could develop.

Still, investigators determined that long-term job impacts from such a transition could bring the annual economic activity of roughly $275 million, including a 92 percent increase of tax revenue from turning to nuclear versus coal. In turn, greenhouse gas emissions in chosen regions could fall by up to 86 percent – the equivalent of removing more than 500,000 gas-powered vehicles from the road. Further, by reusing coal infrastructure for new nuclear reactors, developers could save between 15-35 percent in construction costs, on average.