Coal-to-nuclear could add US$275m to local communities, US report finds

CONVERTING the US’ ageing coal-powered plants to nuclear could drive economic growth and preserve and create new jobs in addition to benefiting the environment, according to new guidance published by the government.

The US had 242 coal plants in operation as of 2022, with close to 30% set to retire by 2035.

The report from the Department of Energy (DOE) found that converting coal-power plants to nuclear using advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) could lead to additional economic activity worth US$275m for coal-reliant communities.

Progress in SMR technology

SMRs can produce around 50–300 MWe, with the technology working in the same way as traditional nuclear reactors, using fission to create heat which is converted into electricity. Due to their small physical footprint, plants would not need to make great operational or construction costs for their integration.

Adrian La Porta, a technical director of process engineering at design and delivery consultants Bryden Wood, said: “SMRs can be integrated into existing coal plants whilst retaining much of the existing plants, provided the correct design approach is taken.

“Steam turbines and generators can be reused, for instance, provided that they are decoupled from the reactor using a heat transfer medium.”

Public and private institutions around the world are developing SMR technology for applications including electricity, heating, and water desalination. Reactor builder Westinghouse Electric struck a deal with Community Nuclear Power earlier this year to deliver four SMRs in Teesside to provide power to the local chemicals industry.

Growing interest in nuclear power in the US

La Porta said that the key consideration for deploying SMRs is licensing and regulation.

He said: “Nuclear energy is very tightly regulated, and these regulatory processes can have a great impact on the time to deployment. Standardisation and modularisation are important in accelerating the deployment of SMRs at scale.”

Last year, NuScale became the only reactor manufacturer to receive approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its SMRs.

Though the company’s first US project has been scrapped due to a lack of interest from industry, Americans are becoming increasingly turned on to the idea of having more nuclear power plants.

A 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center found 57% of Americans were encouraging of nuclear power production, up from 43% in 2020.

The government’s new guidance focuses on the benefits to utilities and communities, with an emphasis on job creation.

For nuclear plants operating at 500 MWe, the report found that there would be net job increases of close to 50% compared to equivalent coal plants. Those roles would mainly be for nuclear operators, technicians, and engineers.