What’s New? Today, the energy consulting firm, ScottMadden, released a white paper analyzing the job and economic impacts of a coal to nuclear transition. The paper explores the role small modular reactors (SMR) can play in re-energizing communities after a coal plant closes. The paper bases its analysis on available data from the NuScale 12-module design as a comparison for a coal plant replacement.
As coal plants retire due to utility pledges to cut carbon emissions, communities nationwide face the devastating loss of affordable, reliable energy, as well as well-paying, highly skilled jobs. The energy sector is turning its focus to identifying zero-carbon replacements for the coal fleet, with the next generation of nuclear reactors being the ideal replacement.
Fast Facts
- Nuclear is uniquely positioned to redirect skilled workers from the coal power industry to new nuclear plants. In the analysis, an SMR could provide at least 237 on-site jobs, which is far more than a typical coal plant. These jobs would exist throughout the 40+ year life of the plant with a median wage scale nationwide that is 23% higher than coal and roughly 60% higher than renewables.
- SMRs provide the opportunity to bring an additional 70+ jobs to local communities. These engineering and professional jobs would be new additions and provide a boost to the local community’s economy. Estimates also show that roughly 1,600 additional jobs would be created for an estimated three-year period during the construction of an SMR.
- SMRs are close to a “drop-in replacement,” providing a similar profile to the coal plant being replaced. A nuclear plant can leverage the existing assets and minimize costs to redesign the grid, while also serving a similar role on the electricity grid by providing baseload, dispatchable power with a high-capacity factor.
- Ensuring the success of this transition will require federal and state policies to get beyond first-of-a-kind challenges, clean energy incentives targeting solutions that re-employ people, and local communities receiving support and funding to assess SMRs as an option.
Big Picture: DC and state policymakers have established climate as a priority with legislative proposals to bolster carbon-free and low-carbon technologies, challenging the future of coal’s contribution to the U.S. electric grid. The paper underscores nuclear’s role in helping build back communities impacted in the energy transition.
Continued support through funding and private investment is essential to get new nuclear technologies, like SMRs, deployed and available to lead the transition as more fossil fuels come offline in the next decade. The proposed bipartisan infrastructure bill and the FY2022 budget proposal support funding for these new technologies.
States have signaled interest in a coal to nuclear transition, and companies like TerraPower, in partnership with Pacificorp, have already announced plans to build an advanced reactor at a retired coal plant in Wyoming.
What Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of NEI, has to say: “We are in an era of transition as we look to decarbonize the electricity sector. State governments and utility companies are committing to carbon-reduction goals over the next decades and are prioritizing carbon-free energy technologies to reach their ambitious goals. The next generation of nuclear reactors is uniquely positioned to play a critical role in the transition.
“With coal plants retiring, a transition to nuclear means we can continue to use the expertise of coal workers and infrastructure developed over decades to achieve our climate goals while delivering well-paid, highly skilled jobs in coal communities. A coal to nuclear transition would make good on the Biden administration’s promise to empower workers who can build our clean-energy future.”
What to Look for Next: Nuclear continues to garner bipartisan support, not only for the carbon-free generation it brings, but also for the benefits it provides to our economy through long-term, well-paying jobs. NEI encourages policymakers to incentivize a coal to nuclear transition and accelerate efforts to build and deploy next-generation of nuclear reactors.
Available Expert: To speak with an NEI expert contact [email protected] or 202.739.8156.
