It is imaginable to install 60 to 95 GW of new nuclear generation capacity in existing and recently removed American nuclear force plants, according to a new initial investigation of the Ministry of Energy.
According to the report, the CNRC in the past issued combined licenses and operational licenses (necklace) for 8 primary reactors in five existing sites, which means that they were already characterized, evaluated and determined as adapted to the exploitation. Additional necklace requests were introduced for nine additional reactors in seven additional sites, but they have been suspended or removed before the CNRC ended its exam.
“This indicates there is a very high degree of confidence that these sites would be potentially suitable to host a reactor,” DOE said. “Taking advantage of licensing engagements could speed up the licensing process and save time and money for new builds.”
The report also looked at building nuclear power plants near coal plants and found an additional 128 to 174 GW of new nuclear capacity could be built, depending on the reactor type. DOE said the findings align with its previous research on coal-to-nuclear transitions that could leverage the existing workforce and some of the infrastructure in these energy communities to provide substantial economic and environmental benefits.
“It’s important to note that this is only a preliminary analysis,” DOE stressed. “Utilities and communities will need to work closely together to make the decisions on whether to build a new plant. As always, capital costs will be a key factor influencing this deployment.”