A new report by the United States’ Department of Energy (DOE) has found that the country can add a significant amount of nuclear power at the still operating or recently retired nuclear power plants.
The ‘Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant and Coal Power Plant Sites for New Nuclear Capacity’ report took into consideration all 54 operating and 11 recently retired nuclear power plant sites across 31 states.
Factors such as availability of adequate cooling water, proximity to large population centers or hazardous facilities, or unacceptable seismic or flood hazards, were taken into consideration during the assessment.
The preliminary findings of the report suggest that 41 operating and retired nuclear power plants sites can have more reactor installations.
The report found that over 60 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity can be added to operating or recently retired nuclear power plant sites in the US. Moreover, if the smaller 600-megawatt electric advanced reactors can be made viable it can lead to energy generation of 95 GW, according to the report.
Adding reactors to existing nuclear or coal power plant sites
The report also deals with the possibility of adding nuclear reactors to existing or old coal power plant sites.
It suggests that of the currently operating coal power plant sites projected to retire by 2040, 33 sites in 18 states could be evaluated further for new nuclear unit backfits.
Further, there are 85 coal power plant (CPP) sites in 28 states which can be used for new nuclear plants. These have a combined retired and operating status capacity of 600 MWe or greater with no projected retirement date reported to EIA.
“The evaluation of CPP sites with a minimum of 600 MWe transmission capacity indicates that 145 CPP sites may be suitable for building 128 GWe (with 1,117 MWe) reactors or 174 GWe with 600 MWe generic advanced reactor technology,” the report states.
Talking about the nuclear power plant (NPP) sites, the report adds, “Some of the current fleet of 94 operating NPPs on 54 sites in 28 states have the room and resources to site additional nuclear units. In addition, 11 recently retired NPP sites in 11 states have the room and resources to site additional nuclear units. This evaluation estimates that an additional 60–95 GWe could be built at existing NPP sites across a combined analysis of 31 states.”
Benefits of boosting capacity at pre-existing sites
Locating new NPPs or technologies at a current NPP site is advantageous because communities surrounding these plants already support nuclear energy, know the safety culture, and are aware of continuous strict environmental monitoring of areas surrounding the plants.
Further, locating replacement NPPs or technologies at an existing CPP is beneficial because it takes advantage of existing infrastructure and grid access, and it also maintains jobs.
“It is becoming increasingly important for the United States to deliver clean, firm electricity on a gigawatt-scale to meet growing energy demand,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Mike Goff.
“This report offers valuable insight into the possibility of utilizing the nation’s existing nuclear power plant sites to build new nuclear capacity to reach the nation’s clean energy goals.”
The study was conducted by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy Systems Analysis & Integration campaign with contributions from researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.
The combined capacity of nuclear power plants in the United States is the highest worldwide, with approximately 97 gigawatts electric installed as of August 2024, according to a report by Statista .
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