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Economic Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Unit Decarbonization Retrofit with High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

Author

Listed:
  • Bixiong Luo

    (China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100029, China)

  • Li Zhang

    (China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100029, China)

  • Wei Li

    (China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100029, China)

  • Yanlin Su

    (China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100029, China)

  • Yongjian Ye

    (East China Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, Shanghai 200063, China)

  • Chenyu Wang

    (College of Energy, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
    Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9EP, UK)

  • Yixuan Liu

    (College of Energy, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China)

  • Yi Zhang

    (East China Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, Shanghai 200063, China)

  • Xinwei Zhu

    (China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100029, China)

Abstract

To mitigate global warming, phasing out coal in the global energy system orderly and rapidly is an important near-term strategy. However, the majority of coal-fired plants in China have operated for less than 15 years. Accelerated coal power plant retirements would lead to substantial asset stranding. Coal-to-nuclear (C2N) technology offers a potential solution by replacing coal boilers in existing coal-fired plants with nuclear reactors. In this study, the G4-ECONS model was used to assess the economics of repowering a 600 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant with two 272 MWe high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The timeline for the C2N project and the additional cost of dispatching electricity from the grid during retrofitting were discussed. Results showed that the C2N total capitalized costs are 19.4% (baseline estimate, USD 5297.6/kW) and 11.1% (conservative estimate, USD 5847.2/kW) lower than the greenfield project (USD 6576.5/kW), respectively. And C2N projects need to reduce LUEC by at least 20% to become competitive. This study can inform engineering design decisions leading to more precise and cost-effective C2N projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Bixiong Luo & Li Zhang & Wei Li & Yanlin Su & Yongjian Ye & Chenyu Wang & Yixuan Liu & Yi Zhang & Xinwei Zhu, 2024. "Economic Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Unit Decarbonization Retrofit with High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:17:p:4232-:d:1463190
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jianxiao Wang & Liudong Chen & Zhenfei Tan & Ershun Du & Nian Liu & Jing Ma & Mingyang Sun & Canbing Li & Jie Song & Xi Lu & Chin-Woo Tan & Guannan He, 2023. "Inherent spatiotemporal uncertainty of renewable power in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
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