Kirsty Gogan speaking about the Rebirth of US Nuclear Power was among the highlights RTO selected on this brief about the Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF), where more than 6,000 people from 34 countries participated. This forum provided a preview of the national and international climate commitments that will be brought forward at the 27th UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP27)set for Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November. “We're seeing incredible demand for coal-to-nuclear,” she said during a discussion led by the nuclear office of the U.S. Department of Energy. “There's recognition in these communities about the potential to create a future for decades more of operations and for high-paying jobs. The utilities like it because they want to continue supplying reliable, dispatchable energy without emissions. …, Kirsty said during the TerraPraxis co-hosted side event: What will it take for Energy Communities to Successfully Transition?

During Climate Week, Microsoft gave a briefing with several partners outlining compelling examples of how Microsoft-enabled digital technologies could accelerate the low-carbon energy transition. The first centered on a collaboration with TerraPraxis, focused on helping coal plant operators determine the best ways to retrofit their facilities to run on carbon-free energy. The idea is to create a replicable way for gathering data to help more than 2,400 coal plants be reconfigured to run nuclear power. The grid infrastructure surrounding these facilities can help developers add this carbon-free energy more quickly, by streamlining permitting, and it will leverage the skills and talents of coal plant workers into the future, said Eric Ingersoll, one of the managing partners and founder of TerraPraxis. "If we don’t have a climate strategy that includes these people, we don’t have a climate strategy," Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said.

Learn More about the Microsoft-TerraPraxis Collaboration »‍‍

This article highlights the recent signing between Microsoft and TerraPraxis to deliver a digital solution to support the repurposing of over 2,400 coal-fired power plants to run on carbon-free energy. “The global energy transition requires partnerships and technology innovation like this one led by TerraPraxis to repurpose coal-based power plants with carbon-free energy generation,” said Darryl Willis, corporate vice president of Energy & Resources, Microsoft. “We look forward to our role in enabling TerraPraxis to accelerate this transformational solution economically, securely and at scale.”

Learn More about the Signing »

Non-profit sustainability group TerraPraxis will partner with Microsoft to deliver a digital solution to support the repurposing of over 2,400 coal-fired power plants to run on carbon-free energy. TerraPraxis is looking to combine its expertise in energy with Microsoft to build and deploy a set of tools to automate the design and regulatory approval needed to decarbonise coal facilities with nuclear power. The burning of coal causes more than 40% of global carbon emissions and more than 75% of emissions from electricity generation. As global carbon emissions rebounded in 2021 to their highest level in history, increased use of coal was the main driving factor, reaching an all-time high of 15.3 billion tonnes. According to the International Energy Agency, the world’s consumption of coal is set to rise yet again in 2022.

Learn More »

Climate Week started on September 19 in New York, in this article Forbes tells us what to expect and what to pay attention to during the week, including the Sustainability Deals Of The Week where the collaboration between Microsoft and TerraPraxis to repower coal plants is highlighted.

Learn More about the Microsoft-TerraPraxis Collaboration »

TerraPraxis is looking to combine its deep expertise in energy with Microsoft to build and deploy a set of tools to automate the design and regulatory approval needed to decarbonize coal facilities with nuclear power, helping transition one of the world’s largest sources of carbon to zero emissions. The relationship began during last year’s Microsoft Global Hackathon, where the team working with TerraPraxis won the Hack for Sustainability challenge sponsored by Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Microsoft and TerraPraxis, a nonprofit headquartered in the U.K., have joined forces to develop a software application that will help existing coal plants determine the best avenue for decarbonization. “The global energy transition requires partnerships and technology innovation like this one led by TerraPraxis to repurpose coal-based power plants with carbon-free energy generation,” Darryl Willis, corporate vice president of Energy & Resources at Microsoft, said in a statement. “We look forward to our role in enabling TerraPraxis to accelerate this transformational solution economically, securely and at scale.”

Watch Signing Ceremony »‍

TerraPraxis, a non-profit organisation focused on actionable solutions for climate and prosperity, has announced a collaboration with Microsoft to deliver a digital solution that will tackle a significant decarbonisation challenge—repurposing more than 2,400 coal-fired power plants worldwide to run on carbon-free energy. "The global energy transition requires partnerships and technology innovation like this one led by TerraPraxis to repurpose coal-based power plants with carbon-free energy generation,” said Darryl Willis, corporate vice president of Energy & Resources, Microsoft. "We look forward to our role in enabling TerraPraxis to accelerate this transformational solution economically, securely and at scale."

Learn More »

TerraPraxis and Microsoft enter a strategic collaboration to repower coal-fired power plants with advanced heat sources across the globe. Watch the sizzle video from the signing ceremony here, where Brad Smith, President of Microsoft said: “One of the greatest challenges of the XXI Century is really to cut the cord between power and carbon. And of the most profoundly challenging areas of this is the world’s reliance on coal to generate power. And, TerraPraxis, I think you all are at the absolute center of the world’s innovation to cut the cord while enabling the world to continue to rely on the power plants that have been built and the infrastructure that already exists so that the world doesn't have to go spend the money to recreate what already exists.”

A digital solution will tackle a significant decarbonization challenge—decarbonizing a global fleet of 2,400 coal plants to run on clean energy. TerraPraxis, a non-profit focused on actionable solutions for climate and prosperity, is collaborating with Microsoft to deliver a digital solution to tackle a significant decarbonization challenge—repurposing over 2,400 coal-fired power plants worldwide to run on carbon-free energy. The relationship began during last year's Microsoft Global Hackathon, where the team working with TerraPraxis won the Hack for Sustainability challenge sponsored by Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Watch Signing Ceremony »

TerraPraxis will deploy a set of tools to automate the design and regulatory approval needed to decarbonize coal facilities with nuclear power, helping transition one of the world's largest sources of carbon to zero emissions. To do this, TerraPraxis intends to develop a software application with Microsoft that will analyze the existing coal fleet to determine the best avenue to retrofit the plants, saving coal plant owners time and money while giving their assets and the communities around them a new lease on life for decades to come.

The NICE Future initiative published a digest which showcases examples of leading nuclear produced hydrogen initiatives which can be used to power hard-to-electrify sectors such as transport and heavy industry. Eric Ingersoll and Kirsty Gogan, Founders of TerraPraxis, were honoured to contribute both a Foreword and a chapter: "While it sounds daunting to achieve the scale of production needed, the scalability and power density of advanced heat sources are a major benefit. By moving to a manufacturing model with modular designs, it is possible to deliver hundreds of units in multiple markets around the world each year to produce abundant clean hydrogen-based synthetic fuels. To achieve global market penetration at the speed and scale required by the climate emergency, these drop-in substitute fuels must be delivered at prices that can outcompete fossil fuels within 10 years, and at a scale that can displace the 100 million barrels of oil that are currently consumed around the world each day." 

New DOE Report Finds Hundreds of Retiring Coal Plant Sites Could Convert to Nuclear | Department of Energy  “After screening all retired coal sites to a set of 157 potential candidates and screening operating sites to a set of 237 candidates, the study team estimates that 80% of retired and operating coal power plant sites that were evaluated have the basic characteristics needed to be considered amenable to host an advanced nuclear reactor”.

The report also highlights potential savings for coal plant owners, and benefits for regions: “This report evaluates a case study for the detailed impacts and potential outcomes from a C2N transition. Based on the nuclear technology choices and sizes evaluated to replace a large coal plant of 1,200 MWe generation capacity at the case study site, nuclear overnight costs of capital could decrease by 15% to 35% when compared to a greenfield construction project, through the reuse of infrastructure from the coal facility. Nuclear replacement designs can have a lower capacity size because nuclear power plants run at higher capacity factors than coal power plants. In the case study replacing coal capacity with 924 MWe of nuclear capacity, the study team found regional economic activity could increase by as much as $275 million and add 650 new, permanent jobs to the region of analysis.”

We know that climate change is an energy problem. Now we have 28 years to replace fossil fuels and double our overall energy supply. As you reflect on our first  2021 Annual Review, we hope you will be as energized as we are by our success in mobilizing a broad coalition of public and private sector leaders and building momentum for innovative climate solutions (for coal plant conversion, flexible co-generation, clean hydrogen, and synthetic fuels production). Our programs could accelerate the reduction of global carbon emissions by repurposing trillions of dollars of existing infrastructure to supply clean, affordable, and reliable energy to billions of people.

PEI’s Pamela Largue spoke to Rudy Koenig, independent energy advisor and Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of TerraPraxis about the current energy crisis in Europe, the rising appetite for nuclear energy and strategies that can mitigate some of the risks associated with nuclear. Both Gogan and Koenig agreed there is a need for clear strategic, political recognition, and commitment to understand the role of nuclear. Despite nuclear power’s controversial beginnings, perceptions and political positions are rapidly changing. By COP26 in Glasgow, said Kirsty Gogan, there was much more appetite for nuclear as politicians had a mandate to address the gas crisis.

The IEA released this new report that will look at how nuclear energy could help address two major crises – energy and climate – facing the world today. The study team acknowledges having benefitted from meetings from TerraPraxis and highlights our repowering coal project: “Various initiatives can facilitate the replacement of coal-fired plants with SMRs, such as that of TerraPraxis which aims to prepare standardised and pre- licensed designs supported by automated project development and design tools.” “In today’s context of the global energy crisis, skyrocketing fossil fuel prices, energy security challenges, and ambitious climate commitments, I believe nuclear power has a unique opportunity to stage a comeback,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol.

This article by David Dalton describes the Repowering Coal project. TerraPraxis has assembled a consortium of partners including Bryden Wood, Microsoft, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and University at Buffalo, along with a consortium of global utilities, to launch the ‘Repowering Coal’ initiative. The aim is to provide standardised, pre-licensed designs supported by automated project development and design tools to enable customers to be ready to start construction on their SMR projects in the late 2020s. “The result of this repowering will be carbon-free power plants that are cheaper to operate than before, and to ensure continuity for communities reliant on these plants for energy, jobs, and continued economic development,” Eric Ingersoll, co-founder and managing partner of TerraPraxis said. “The challenge is not only to build enough clean electricity generation to power the world, but to do so quickly while building the infrastructure required to decarbonise end-use sectors such as heat, industry, and transport” Kirsty Gogan said at the Nuclear Innovation Conference in Amsterdam.

Listen to this podcast where David Roberts interviews Johannes Ackva, Researcher at Founders Pledge, talking about why effective altruism focuses on climate and why this is so important. In his words, '...solving climate change is related to solving other really big problems, in particular air pollution and energy poverty. So if you think about clean energy abundance as one possible solution for climate change, that will actually solve those issues'. Founders Pledge has supported TerraPraxis since its beginning. In November 2021 TerraPraxis was listed among seven of the most high-impact, cost-effective, evidence-based organizations fighting climate change by recommendation of Founders Pledge.

This article from the WNN makes a brief of the recently published report "Beautiful Nuclear" which was commissioned to LucidCatalyst. TerraPraxis endorses this report and is collaborating in its dissemination. The article highlights several quotes from report: Kirsty Gogan, from LucidCatalyst & TerraPraxis, said at the report's launch at the : “Nuclear is beautiful because its tiny land use and lifecycle footprint protects nature and delivers civilisation-scale, abundant clean energy. Both of these are fundamental to our future health, well-being and prosperity on this planet."

Bryden Wood has partnered with TerraPraxis for the Repowering Coal Platform, the largest single carbon abatement opportunity on the planet that could greatly accelerate the clean energy transition into being. Amanda Doyle spoke to Adrian La Porta, Technical Director of Process Engineering at design company Bryden Wood about replacing coal-fired boilers with nuclear reactors. In Adrian's words: ''Switching to nuclear reactors would provide a benefit to communities as the power plants remain operational'.

This article discusses the benefits of repowering coal power plants with advanced heat solutions. It is based on our Built Environment Matters podcast featuring TerraPraxis Co-founder Kirsty Gogan in conversation with Bryden Wood's Head of Global Systems, Jaimie Johnston MBE. To support TerraPraxis' repowering coal initiative, Bryden Wood is developing a standardised, scalable building system, configuring the design in such a way as to be able to meet any kind of site or plant requirements, while also accommodating a range of different heat sources. This is being achieved using a highly automated design, and a design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) approach.

This article describes the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2022 panel “Beyond Baseload: Nuclear’s Role in the New Energy Landscape,” where Anthropocene’s partners and colleagues shed light on the applications and benefits of nuclear energy beyond baseload power. Moderator Dr. Jenifer Shafer (ARPA-E) was joined by Dr. Rita Baranwal (Westinghouse), Dr. Charles Forsberg (MIT), Dr. Jessica Lovering (Good Energy Collective), and Eric Ingersoll (TerraPraxis), who outlined the TerraPraxis “Repowering Coal” system, a fast, low-cost, and repeatable strategy to repower hundreds of existing coal plants that would otherwise continue to burn coal, and whose closure is likely to encounter fierce political resistance and cause economic harm to communities.

Repowering of the existing global coal plant fleet with small modular reactors (SMRs) represents an immense carbon abatement opportunity suggests non-profit TerraPraxis. The key to rapid implementation is digital innovation in infrastructure, design, engineering, and construction. The TerraPraxis Repowering Coal concept is a fast, low-cost, and repeatable strategy to repower hundreds of existing coal plants that would otherwise continue to burn coal, and whose closure is likely to encounter fierce political resistance and cause economic harm to communities. It will deliver a substantial portion of the clean electricity required to achieve net zero by 2050 by replacing coal-fired boilers at existing power plants with SMRs, which could be ready for deployment as soon as 2028.

How Much Would It Cost to Reduce Global Warming? $131 Trillion Is One Answer. Money is a sticking point in climate-change negotiations around the world. U.S. utilities and startup firms are trying to convince lawmakers, regulators and customers that they can convert aging coal power plants to house small nuclear reactors, a so-far unproven way to deliver electricity. The burgeoning idea would place fleets of small, modular nuclear reactors at or near former coal-fired power plants and is taking hold across the electricity industry. Utility companies see it as a way to repurpose coal plants they are set to retire and are joining with startups developing the reactors, looking to tap into billions of dollars in federal funding.

Kirsty Gogan is an internationally sought-after advisor to governments, industry, academic networks and NGOs. She is regularly invited as an expert speaker on science communication, climate change, competitiveness and innovation. In this interview, she explains the Repowering Coal initiative, TerraPraxis' goals and partners, the algorithmic design tools being created with Bryden Wood, the digital platform being developed, the pros and cons of SMRs and Advanced Modular Reactors, and provides some advice for energy utilities.

The authors of this article, experts in nuclear engineering, set the record straight and explain the risks of nuclear power plants in war zones, which is surprisingly small. "Nuclear reactors cannot 'explode' like a nuclear weapon, because of their fundamental differences in materials and designs." Furthermore, "nuclear power plants must, by law, be able to withstand a broad range of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods, as well as terrorist attacks. Ukraine’s nuclear power plants have multiple layers of protection." It is important to note that while "Civilian infrastructure isn’t built to withstand military assault. Nuclear power plants, however, are exceptionally hardened facilities, as we have seen. By comparison, other power plants, dams, ports, chemical plants, the food supply chain, long-span bridges, the electric grid, oil and gas pipelines, and the internet, just to mention a few, are much softer targets. An attack on these targets could inflict considerably greater suffering and disruption to the civilian population and the environment." Note that two of this article's authors are advisors to TerraPraxis: Jacopo Buongiorno (MIT, Director of Nuclear Engineering) and Andrew Whittaker (U Buffalo-expert in nuclear seismic isolation).

The world has more than 2TWe of coal-fired power plants, adding roughly 12 gigatonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, representing almost one-third of global total net emissions of 38.8 gigatonnes a year. But shutting coal plants down worldwide is not a solution when the majority are less than 14 years old, and energy demand is soaring, writes Eric Ingersoll and Kirsty Gogan of TerraPraxis, a non-profit organisation focused on accelerating the energy transition through innovation.

Microsoft has joined the TerraPraxis-led team working on Repowering Coal. Microsoft is helping create Azure tools to enable automated analysis of the US (and ultimately global) coal power generation fleet for retrofit. Microsoft will build the analytics tools with TerraPraxis and help undertake strategic partnerships with #RepoweringCoal consortium stakeholders. At the Microsoft booth during #CERAWeek, TerraPraxis will offer demonstrations of the Azure tools showcasing the opportunity for retrofitting coal power plants. If you're in Houston, please visit us at the Microsoft Agora House, in the George R. Brown Convention Center March 8-9.

Bryden Wood has joined TerraPraxis in working on a “Repowering Coal” initiative to help countries meet net-zero emissions targets by replacing coal-fired boilers at existing power plants with Generation IV advanced modular reactors (AMRs)—creating a new design and construction solution that would make such a program possible at scale and speed, in part by deploying a new digital platform. Kirsty Gogan of TerraPraxis said repowering is a way “to accelerate and de-risk global decarbonization,” while also supporting an “affordable clean energy provision on existing sites utilizing existing transmission.” She said it provides “the opportunity to reduce the overall scale of investment required to enable the clean energy transition.”

SUNY Distinguished Professor Andrew Whittaker is part of a consortium led by TerraPraxis developing a digital platform to repower coal plants using advanced heat sources. The aim is to retrofit retired and operating coal-fired power plants with modular nuclear reactors while retaining the balance of the plant. Other members include the UK-based architectural and engineering consultancy—Bryden Wood, along with MIT, Microsoft, and a group of utilities. Whittaker and the multidisciplinary TerraPraxis team, which includes civil, mechanical and nuclear engineers and designers, are adapting proven seismic isolation and damping technologies to standardize equipment, drive down cost and accelerate construction. Researchers are targeting a five-fold reduction in capital cost.

TerraPraxis is working with Bryden Wood to create a new digital platform for making the replacement of coal-fired boilers at existing power plants with advanced modular nuclear reactors possible at scale and speed. TerraPraxis co-founder Eric Ingersoll said: "This ambitious project will design a process to repower the world's coal fleets via a fast, repeatable system resulting in carbon negative power plants that are cheaper to operate than before and ensure continuity for communities reliant on these plants for energy and jobs."

Engineering and architecture firm Bryden Wood has revealed the digital platform for its ambitious Repowering coal project, which aims to retro-fit coal-fired power plants to accommodate modular nuclear reactors. The strategy, developed in collaboration with non-profit TerraPraxis, will see coal-fired boilers at existing power plants replaced with Generation IV Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRS), which will be ready for deployment by 2027. This initiative is seen as a way to make gains on worldwide decarbonisation of the energy sector.

International design company Bryden Wood is working alongside TerraPraxis to create a new digital platform to decarbonise electricity by 2050. The ‘Repowering Coal’ initiative will deliver a substantial portion of the clean electricity required to achieve net zero by 2050, by replacing coal-fired boilers at existing power plants with Generation IV Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) which will be ready for deployment by 2027.

TerraPraxis has been listed among seven of the most high-impact, cost-effective, evidence-based organizations fighting climate change. Why Johannes Ackva and Luisa Sandkühler of Founders Pledge recommend TerraPraxis: “We believe that TerraPraxis continues to do incredibly important work around shaping a conversation for advanced nuclear to address critical decarbonization challenges, such as the decarbonization of hard-to-decarbonize sectors and the conundrum of how to deal with lots of very new coal plants that are unlikely to be prematurely retired.”

SUPPORT OUR WORK
You can contribute to our work at by making a donation at every.org/terrapraxis — to our US-based 501(c)3. By donating through this channel, you will receive a receipt for your donation from Every.org which is a US-based 501(c)3. If you are based in Europe or the United Kingdom and interested in donating to TerraPraxis, please contact us. Donations support our work in the US, UK, and Europe.

While wind and solar ramp up, several countries, including France and Britain, are looking to expand their nuclear energy programs. Germany and others aren’t so enthusiastic. “Nuclear is going mainstream in the climate movement,” said Kirsty Gogan, a member of Britain’s Nuclear Innovation Research and Advisory Board and a founder of TerraPraxis, a nonprofit that supports nuclear energy in the shift to a green economy. “This is a critical decade, and I think we’re going to see real change.” ... As investors look at where to deploy trillions of dollars in assets in the shift away from fossil fuels, nuclear power is becoming harder to ignore. “The general consensus in climate circles is nuclear is a clean energy source,” said Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer at Credit Suisse. “If someone can deliver something that is economically viable and scalable and truly green, and do it in a safe way,” she said, “then we have to embrace that.”

Kirsty Gogan Alexander FRSA FEI, an internationally known advocate of nuclear energy, advisor to governments and co-founder of TerraPraxis and Energy for Humanity (EFH), has been named the first WNE Fellow at a ceremony in Paris. Bigot Bernard, director general of ITER Organization and chair of the judging panel, said Gogan has introduced “fresh arguments that make sense to the public at large. She plays a quite remarkable and unique role.” Bigot said the new WNE award is important because it honours someone in civil society whose work supports the development of civil nuclear energy. “It is important to show that nuclear energy, especially in the context of an urgent energy transition to fight against climate change, is supported by people from all horizons,” he said. Eleven people were nominated for the award by the nuclear advisors network in French embassies around the world based on their work, media and social impact, and their commitment to international institutions. Gogan was the unanimous choice of the jury of eight, including Sama Bilbao y Leon, William D Magwood IV, François Jacq, Toshio Kodama, Jean-Bernard Lévy, Alexey Likhachev, and Satish Kumar Sharma.

The flurry of new policies and announcements raises the question: Are we at the dawn of a nuclear renaissance? We’ve heard these claims before. But the mounting scale of the climate and energy conundrum is fueling more money and favorable policies into atomic power. Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of TerraPraxis is quoted: “There have been years of indecisiveness, but the climate is changing around nuclear"... “We need Impossible burgers for energy, a drop-in substitute. We’re not bending the curve on emissions because in the power sector we still need reliability, making the idea that we’re going to phase out coal unforgivably unrealistic right now.”

Founders Pledge issued a guide to the changing landscape of high-impact climate philanthropy, which includes TerraPraxis and the reasons why they have decided to support our work. "We believe that TerraPraxis continues to do incredibly important work around shaping a conversation for advanced nuclear to address critical decarbonization challenges, such as the decarbonization of hard-to-decarbonize sectors and the conundrum of how to deal with lots of very new coal plants that are unlikely to be prematurely retired."

SUPPORT OUR WORK
You can contribute to our work at by making a donation at every.org/terrapraxis — to our US-based 501(c)3. By donating through this channel, you will receive a receipt for your donation from Every.org which is a US-based 501(c)3. If you are based in Europe or the United Kingdom and interested in donating to TerraPraxis, please contact us. Donations support our work in the US, UK, and Europe.

Thanks to a grant from Founders Pledge, TerraPraxis hosted a high-level, high-impact event in parallel with COP26 in Scotland on November 3, 2021: Derisking the Terawatt Transition at the Climate Action Solution Centre. Read this article on Grant II: Changing how we think and act about the challenge of committed emissions to learn why Founders Pledge decided to make this grant, what they expect from it, and how they will track impact and what it has achieved so far.

SUPPORT OUR WORK
You can contribute to our work by making a donation at every.org/terrapraxis — to our US-based 501(c)3. By donating through this channel, you will receive a receipt for your donation from Every.org which is a US-based 501(c)3. If you are based in Europe or the United Kingdom and interested in donating to TerraPraxis, please contact us. Donations support our work in the US, UK, and Europe.

TerraPraxis and design consultants Bryden Wood are utilizing modular and standard design to quickly scale low-carbon energy infrastructure. Not-for-profit TerraPraxis’s Repowering Coal project seeks to repurpose coal plant sites to clean energy plants, maintaining workforce and energy output. The key to the project’s success is its fast and repeatable design, which Bryden Wood has helped develop. Bryden Wood’s standardized, and prefabricated construction approach reduces the cost and time of construction by 40-80%. Their approach speeds up the licencing process by standardizing each plant. They are also working with US and Canadian regulators to fast-track approval which in notoriously long and arduous in nuclear. In short, the modular design methodology can fast track the construction of the low carbon economy.

Bryden Wood has revealed plans to repurpose the world’s coal-fired power stations to house modular nuclear reactors as part of a ‘major initiative’ to decarbonise the energy sector. The practice's Repurposing Coal proposal has been drawn up with TerraPraxis, a non-profit organisation focused on action for climate and energy, which leads the initiative. Unveiled at COP26 this week, the strategy sets out how coal-fired boilers at existing power plants could be replaced with Advanced Heat Sources (Generation IV Advanced Modular Reactors) to deliver a substantial portion of the clean electricity required to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Bryden Wood, which was again recognised in the AJ100 Best Use of Technology category this year, has created, along with TerraPraxis, ‘a platform solution’ making these conversions possible at scale and speed by transforming how projects of this kind are financed, designed, approved and delivered.

Bryden Wood está trabajando con Terra Praxis en estrategias para recargar las centrales eléctricas de carbón existentes con fuentes de calor avanzadas (como pequeños reactores modulares). Esto permitirá que la infraestructura existente continúe suministrando energía confiable, pero sin emisiones, y avance un progreso innovador hacia Net Zero para 2050. El Reino Unido está analizando un ambicioso plan para rediseñar las centrales eléctricas de carbón del mundo para reactores nucleares modulares. La instalación de fuentes de calor avanzadas para reemplazar las calderas de carbón en las plantas de carbón existentes permitirá el uso continuo de la infraestructura existente para producir energía continua libre de emisiones.

Bryden Wood (and TerraPraxis) have announced ambitious plans to repurpose the world’s coal fired power stations to accommodate modular nuclear reactors in a bid to decarbonise the global energy sector. Unveiled at COP26, the plan suggests replacing coal fired boilers at existing power plants with Advanced Heat Sources (Generation IV Advanced Modular Reactors) to deliver a substantial portion of the clean electricity required to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Brydon Wood is an international architecture and engineering firm working with TerraPraxis on this “platform solution” that will make this possible at scale and speed by transforming how projects of this kind are financed, designed, approved and delivered.

TerraPraxis engaged Bryden Wood to work on the ‘Repurposing Coal’ initiative, just launched at COP26. The initiative aims to replace coal-fired boilers at existing power plants with advanced heat sources (generation IV advanced modular reactors) to deliver a substantial portion of the clean electricity required to achieve net zero by 2050. TerraPraxis is working with Bryden Wood, MIT, University at Buffalo, Microsoft, and others to standardise and optimise the following key elements: all processes including procurement, investment and approval; building and engineering systems; design, manufacture, assembly and operation; and interactions between different supply chain organisations to enable greater collaboration.

TerraPraxis joins a broad, diverse group of 40 international organisations to encourage the delegates of COP26 to deliver more urgent action on climate change. We all have different missions and areas of focus but we are united in the belief that COP26 is a seminal moment and we have come together with a shared message to delegates – there is no time to waste, please work together for the future of humanity. The campaign has been collaboratively and collectively developed by the organisations involved, in conjunction with Quadrature Climate Foundation.

As part of the VISIONS 2100 Project, published at COP26 in Glasgow, this book tells of the power of Visions and invites the reader to create and share their own vision of a better world. Only by starting conversations of the future will we manage to build the world that we really want. These are stories from some of the world’s leading environmental thinkers and influencers. It includes those leading the process of making global agreements on climate change and those working on leading technology solutions. These are the people who are shaping your future world. Their visions tell what they want to see in the future. They are passionate about achieving the world of their vision. Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll of TerraPraxis were among these leading environmental thinkers who contributed to Stories from 2030.

Mohamed Nasheed, former prime minister of the Maldives who now leads a group of countries called the Climate Vulnerable Forum, singled out the G20’s failure to be more ambitious about phasing out coal. “This is a welcome start,” Mr. Nasheed said in an emailed statement, “But it won’t stop the climate from heating more than 1.5 degrees and devastating large parts of the world, including the Maldives. G20 countries need to look at decommissioning coal plants at home and repowering their coal fleet infrastructure with clean energy.” (Note former Prime Minister Nasheed participated in TerraPraxis' full-day event on Derisking the Terawatt Transition at COP26.)

Mohamed Nasheed, a former president of the Maldives who once held an underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the threat to the Indian Ocean nation, said the coal commitments were not nearly enough. "This is a welcome start. But it won’t stop the climate from heating more than 1.5°C and devastating large parts of the world," he said, "G20 countries need to look at decommissioning coal plants at home and repowering their coal fleet infrastructure with clean energy." (Note former Prime Minister Nasheed participated in TerraPraxis' full-day event on Derisking the Terawatt Transition at COP26.)

Glasgow — “This is a welcome start. But it won’t stop the climate from heating more than 1.5 degrees and devastating large parts of the world, including the Maldives. And so, clearly, this isn't nearly enough. It is also becoming the case that even if you want to sell coal no one wants to buy it anymore. G20 countries need to look at decommissioning coal plants at home and repowering their coal fleet infrastructure with clean energy.” Former President Nasheed participated at the TerraPraxis Energy Day summit running in parallel to COP26. Watch video of each speaker and the entire TerraPraxis Energy Day summit event.

Reuters cites a new study by Aurora Energy Research, Decarbonising Hydrogen in a Net Zero Economy. Hydrogen is increasingly seen as an essential fuel to power a future, carbon-free economy. Nuclear power operators can mitigate high costs by fitting plants to produce hydrogen, and studies have found that the cheapest option for the growing hydrogen economy is to include nuclear in the energy mix. The study was commissioned by Urenco and has been supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, EDF, and LucidCatalyst.

To facilitate rapid decarbonisation and cut dependency on fossil fuels, both nuclear energy and renewables are needed for power and hydrogen production, a new independent study has concluded. The study, by Aurora Energy Research, investigates the benefits of deploying both nuclear and renewables for hydrogen production, to support the energy transition and meet UK climate targets. The report, Decarbonising Hydrogen in a Net Zero Economy, was commissioned by Urenco and has been supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, EDF, and LucidCatalyst.

Kirsty Gogan is featured in the cover story of Nuclear Future about how the nuclear industry can help deliver Net Zero. “By incorporating these strategies we could dramatically change our prospects. Once there is better awareness and understanding, the potential will start to mobilise.”

The U.K. has set a target for 5 gigawatts of hydrogen production by 2030, envisioning its use in road transportation, home heating, and ship propulsion. EDF currently runs 27 plants in the U.K. and France, and is building two more; Sizewell C would be its 30th. “The nuclear industry does need to broaden its ambition and recognize the value of these opportunities,” said Kirsty Gogan, member of a government nuclear advisory board [and co-founder of TerraPraxis]. “We have started to see this happening.”

If America wants to fight climate change or enjoy the modern economy it must get better at building electricity transmission. In the past decade, the US has struggled to build new transmission lines linking different regions of the country, even though such lines are essential to basically any vision of the future national economy. In 2011, President Obama attempted to accelerate the completion of 7 major new transmission lines. Only 2 were finished. Since 2009, China has built more than 18,000 miles of ultra high-voltage transmission lines. The U.S. has built zero. The U.S. must triple its transmission infrastructure in order to decarbonize by 2050. We wanted to share this informative article; it does not mention TerraPraxis.

Diverse, scalable and low-cost applications for nuclear technologies have for first time been fully represented across whole energy system. "To enable the deep decarbonisation that is required to meet net zero, it is clear that we need to completely and utterly transform the totality of our energy system." "Our analysis shows how nuclear can help to minimise the overall physical footprint of the energy system and contribute to achieving net zero at least cost to society."

TerraPower hopes to apply for a construction permit in August 2023 and an operating license in March 2026 for its Natrium fast reactor.

We wanted to share this informative article; it does not mention TerraPraxis, however, our team has worked closely with TerraPower.

The UK's NNL has published ground-breaking modelling report demonstrating the role nuclear can play in delivering the UK’s net zero goals. This is the first time that such diverse, scalable and low-cost applications for nuclear technologies have been fully represented across the whole energy system. This work reveals potential routes to de-risk and lower the cost of achieving net zero. The modelling, which was conducted with independent specialists from Energy Systems Catapult and LucidCatalyst, (partner organisation to TerraPraxis) considers the whole energy system on the path to net zero. This includes the role of nuclear in providing not just electricity but also heat, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

Leaders in the nuclear sector discussed how nuclear energy can contribute to reducing carbon emissions in the fight against climate change during a panel discussion on the side lines of the 12th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM12) hosted by Chile. They said technological breakthroughs and innovations can extend nuclear energy's contribution to climate action and accelerate strategies to cleaner energy. The discussion was moderated by Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of TerraPraxis.

Dr. Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Assoaciation, was interviewed by Kirsty Gogan, host of the launch of Atoms for Humanity, a unique awareness initiative capturing ordinary people from all over the world telling stories on how nuclear transforms their lives. Gogan said one of the core SGDs relates to gender equality. "But also, it's about public health and wellbeing, and again this is absolutely essential to the sustainable development goals. I think nuclear energy can contribute really meaningfully to both of those objectives." "Nuclear energy per se obviously contributes to having this reliable, resilient, 24/7 energy supply that we know is absolutely indispensable to power modern health infrastructure," Bilbao y León said. "We are in the middle of this very terrible COVID-19 pandemic and we are seeing how essential having that access to 24/7 electricity is to cope with this crisis.

Caring about the environment has traditionally focused on the scarcity of natural resources, but with nuclear power a healthier world can also mean abundance for all, environmentalist Ben Heard (NGO Bright New World) said today at the Atoms for Humanity discussion on Why Humanity Needs Nuclear produced by Russia's Rosatom. The discussion centred on the social, environmental, and global partnerships aspects of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was moderated by Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of TerraPraxis.

Eric Ingersoll, co-founder of TerraPraxis, helped teach this MIT engineering course, which became an incubator for fusion design innovations. Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), is the professor of nuclear science and engineering class 22.63 (Principles of Fusion Engineering). Since taking on the course over a decade ago, Whyte has moved away from standard lectures, prodding the class to work collectively on finding solutions to “real-world” issues. Over the past years the course, and its collaborative approach to design, has been instrumental in guiding the real future of fusion at the PSFC.

The $3bn HNH facility, to be powered by 1.8GW of onshore wind, will generate up to 1m tonnes of green ammonia per year.

We wanted to share this informative article; it does not mention TerraPraxis.

Reason prevails! The European commission has announced that it will include nuclear power in the EU’s sustainable taxonomy under a complimentary delegated act that will confirm the energy source is as sustainable as other taxonomy-compliant power technologies. The delegated act will be consistent with the conclusions of a Joint Research Centre report on nuclear power. The JRC, the commission’s scientific expert arm, was asked to assess whether the EU should label nuclear power as a green investment. It concluded that the fuel qualifies as sustainable and does no more harm to human health or to the environment than other electricity production technologies already included in the bloc’s taxonomy.

New commercial offerings are set to drive such needed rapid and cost-effective decarbonisation, beyond generating clean electricity. In September 2020, LucidCatalyst published a new report: Missing Link to a Livable Climate that made a crucial breakthrough in designing new strategies for clean, low cost and large-scale hydrogen and clean synthetic fuels production. These hydrogen-enabled synthetic fuels would address the two thirds of global energy use beyond the power sector, which includes sectors like shipping, aviation, and industry. This article describes the key points and urgency to implement these strategies. (TerraPraxis is disseminating the report findings widely.)

For carbon-free hydrogen to play a significant role in decarbonization, it will need to be produced in large quantities at low cost to compete with hydrocarbons. The need for nuclear in carbon-free hydrogen production took on urgency in a recent panel discussion, part of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum. Kirsty Gogan of LucidCatalyst and TerraPraxis is quoted and the Missing Link report, which TerraPraxis is helping disseminate, describing proposals for large-scale production of green hydrogen is discussed. The report recommends “a new generation of advanced heat sources,” which includes advanced modular reactors, which power electrolysis with heat.

Given the scale and urgency of the required clean transition combined with the growth of the global energy system, all zero-carbon hydrogen production options must be pursued, energy research and consultancy firm LucidCatalyst stresses in its latest report, Missing Link to a Livable Climate, which describes how to decarbonise "a substantial portion" of the global energy system, for which there is currently "no viable alternative", and presents the six actions that are needed. "The potential of advanced heat sources to power the production of large-scale, very low-cost hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels could transform global prospects for near-term decarbonisation and prosperity."

TerraPraxis is helping disseminate the Missing Link report.

TerraPraxis' partner, LucidCatalyst's ETI NCD Study is cited in the UK's HM TreasuryNetZero Interim report as evidence that "learning can, and does, occur for nuclear power plant construction where nations are able to invest in fleet deployment, using the same design across multiple projects, as seen in the Republic of Korea and elsewhere.” (Page 39). " Nuclear project developers are also exploring ways to modularise construction where possibel to mitigate delays...and reduce overall project risk. Furthermore, pending global regulatory approval, small modular reactors (SMRs), could have the potential to go further by using repeat manufacture and on-site assembly techniques that accelerate learning and enable cost reductions."

Kirsty and Eric join Rod Adams and other experts in a lively discussion of nuclear plant costs and the relationship of costs to size. Pro-nuclear advocates generally agree that there is a large and growing need for new nuclear power plants to meet energy demands with less impact on the planet and its atmosphere. There is frequent, sometimes passionate discussion about the most appropriate reactor sizes, technologies and specific uses. Other guests include: Nick Touran, Chris Keefer, and Jessica Lovering. Listen or read more to hear their conclusions.

We'd like to share this article by Dr. Sweta Chakraborty: Nuclear energy must play a role in the overall global energy transition alongside other low-carbon technologies, although the extent of the role will vary between countries. With the U.S. recommitting to the Paris Accords and conceivably taking the lead, the role of nuclear energy must be supported globally...The U.S. must lead by example and show that nuclear energy is necessary for a stable energy transition and to support the removal of reliance from fossil fuels. (This article does not mention TerraPraxis.)

Using nuclear plants to generate heat as well as electricity for non-grid industrial applications could be central to deep decarbonisation efforts beyond being a source of zero-carbon electricity. Kirsty Gogan and other speakers at the fifth Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum last week looked at how hydrogen – and nuclear – can contribute to carbon abatement efforts in areas that have so far been hard to decarbonise.

This article, written by our frequent collaborator, Rauli Partanen, is part 2 of a 4-part series on clean hydrogen and how to bring its costs down. The research is drawn from the Missing Link report by LucidCatalyst, which TerraPraxis is disseminating. The main factors in clean H2 production are: The main factors in clean H2 production cost are: 1. Capacity factor of energy supply; 2. Capital investment (CapEx) of energy supply; 3. Efficiency of electrolyzers (what percentage of electricity is turned into hydrogen); 4. CapEx of electrolyzers.

This article, written by our frequent collaborator, Rauli Partanen, is part 1 of a 4-part series on clean hydrogen and how to bring its costs down. The research is drawn from the Missing Link report by LucidCatalyst, which TerraPraxis is disseminating. Hydrogen, and clean fuels we can make with it, are among the most prominent options available to decarbonize these the “difficult-to-decarbonize” sectors, and drive much of the 60-70% of fossil fuels use we still see in mainstream scenarios by mid-century. If we cannot do it with hydrogen, there is even less chance we can do it with anything else...This undertaking is enormous. It is not a small subsection of our electricity grid. It is several times larger than our current electricity grid.

Advancements in small modular reactor (SMR) technology are being supported by government investment within several countries, including the U.S. and the UK, as SMRs are increasingly seen as a way to take advantage of zero-emission nuclear power without the expense of building new, large nuclear power plants. Recent investments have looked at how parts for SMRs could be fabricated and then assembled at their destination, another way to reduce construction and overall project costs. Kirsty Gogan is quoted, refering to "advanced heat sources", and saying that they can provide economical and clean dispatchable generation, repower coal plants, and supply heat.

Danish startup Seaborg Technologies says it can make affordable nuclear electricity a viable alternative to fossil fuels—its floating barges fitted with advanced nuclear reactors could provide electricity across the developing world as soon as 2025. Kirsty Gogan is quoted: "For hard-to-reach regions, with a climate that is simultaneously too harsh to support the use of renewable energies and too fragile to continue its heavy dependence on fossil fuels, small nuclear, including floating plants, is the only answer." Floating nuclear power plants could be the “turn-key solution” necessary for fast-growing developing economies to power their industries, produce clean-burning hydrogen, and purify drinking water.

Nuclear advocates see a vast market for reactors in carbon capture and carbon-based products, not only for the next generation of reactors in development, but also for the aging dinosaurs they evolved from. “Carbon products represent the potential for an entirely new market for nuclear energy,” said Canon Bryan, CFO of Terrestrial Energy, which is developing a reactor that uses liquid uranium fluoride fuel...“If the waste heat from that plant was being combined with electricity production you could be removing 20 million tons per year of carbon from the atmosphere,” said Kirsty Gogan at an EarthX panel. Modular reactors may also be cheaper, Gogan said, because they can be manufactured in factories on a standard model.

This article highlights the findings of New Nuclear Watch Institute's report on: ‘On the Role of Nuclear Power in the Development of a European Hydrogen Economy’. It also highlights that such findings were discussed at a webinar with Kirsty Gogan, who called for a “new mind set in the nuclear sector”. The exhaustive study concludes that hydrogen can be a “vital” tool in the decarbonisation of energy systems and that nuclear-produced hydrogen would bring “multiple benefits” to the development of the European hydrogen system.

This article reports that two groups of independent researchers set out to identify the most effective nonprofits that are working to curb climate change. Their findings may surprise you. Giving Green recommends five organizations: the Clean Air Task Force, the Sunrise Education Fund, which is the 501(c)(3) arm of the Sunrise Movement, Climeworks, Burn and Tradewater. Top charities selected by researchers at the Founders Pledge are the Clean Air Task Force (again), Carbon 180 and TerraPraxis.

There's another reason the market for green hydrogen is set to grow: Even if we switch to renewable power, some industries will still be carbon-intensive, says Eric Ingersoll, a hydrogen market expert. Sourcing green hydrogen is a relatively easy way for industries to minimize their footprints. "In some ways, we're making a lot of progress with renewables, but we're not making the kind of progress we need with overall decarbonization," Ingersoll said. "People are starting to realize now that we need to have very practical solutions that can decarbonize our existing infrastructure."

The Founders Pledge Research Team details how to support high-impact climate charities in the wake of the 2020 election. Read this informative analysis of about the timing and impact of philanthropy in their comprehensive report. One finding is that the vast majority of funding goes to public engagement and raising awareness. At the same time, global philanthropic support for decarbonising sectors that are usually considered among the hardest to decarbonise — transport and industry — is less than that US$75 million. Carbon dioxide removal, the technology considered most in need of additional innovation policy support, received only US$25 million in global philanthropic support. Note that Founders Pledge supports TerraPraxis, which is one of only a handful of NGOs currently working on these difficult problems.

The EU’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy committee had out-of-date information that was putting nuclear at risk of being misclassified. So ARUP team members dug through 70 years of the industry's techniques and best practices. The report they delivered showed a body of scientific evidence for good waste management—supporting a conclusion that nuclear power deserves a place in the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy framework. Kirsty Gogan of TerraPraxis was an advisor to this report. Read the report at the link below.

A new report by energy research and consultancy firm LucidCatalyst and NGO TerraPraxis says that carbon-neutral, hydrogen-enabled synthetic fuels might be the answer to transitioning these “difficult-to-decarbonize” sectors. Synthetic fuels—meaning fuels made chemically instead of mined from the earth—can be economically competitive with fossil fuels, according to the report. This is a crucial breakthrough. First, implementing synthetic fuels gets rid of the need to electrify everything. Assuming these fuels are carbon neutral, all we have to do is swap them in for hydrocarbons. Second, they could replace the 50-60% of global emissions attributed to these sectors, at identical cost to cheap traditional fuels. TerraPraxis is helping disseminate the report.

Nuclear power must have a seat at the table in global discussions over energy policies to curb emissions and meet climate goals, as technical and scientific advances open the door to better economics and greater public acceptance of this low carbon source of energy. Participants discussed innovations that are making nuclear power a more affordable and attractive energy option. These include advances in large reactors, emerging technologies such as advanced fuel and small modular reactors (SMRs), engineering breakthroughs extending the operational lifetime of existing reactors, and new developments in waste management such as the construction of the world’s first deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll participated on the panel and met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General met with Kirsty Gogan, Co-Founder for TerraPraxis and Managing Director of LucidCatalyst, and Eric Ingersoll, Co-Founder for TerraPraxis and LucidCatalyst, during the IAEA 64th General Conference held at the Agency headquarters in Vienna. View the gallery of images by clicking on the Read Article link below.

Untapped options for clean hydrogen—including the use of advanced modular reactors—can put the world back on the pathway to meeting the Paris climate goals, according to a new report from energy research and consultancy firm LucidCatalyst. The report says the clean energy transition from oil to hydrogen-based fuels could be achieved with a global investment of US$17 trillion, spent over 30 years from 2020 to 2050. TerraPraxis is disseminating the report.

There are immediate actions that countries and stakeholders can take in understanding the importance of nuclear power in the transition to clean energy, according to a report published today by the Flexible Nuclear Campaign for Nuclear-Renewables Integration (FNC). FNC is a campaign of the Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future (NICE Future) initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), and coordinated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. TerraPraxis' partner organisation helped create this campaign.

A new report by LucidCatalyst argues that with demand for clean hydrogen set to boom, the nascent mocular reactor industry could have a key role to play in meeting surging demand. The world can meet the Paris climate goals and save "trillions" of dollars by building a new generation of modular nuclear reactors to create clean hydrogen, the report suggests. TerraPraxis is disseminating this report.

This article features the Missing Link report about how to tackle the difficult-to-decarbonise sectors to achieve net zero by 2050. LucidCatalyst authored the report and TerraPraxis is disseminating it. Using nuclear power to generate hydrogen could help limit global warming and clean up heavy industries, a report has claimed. Hydrogen is rapidly turning into the holy grail for environmentalists and big oil companies alike, because the only by-product of its combustion is water. The government is committed to the UK achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The nuclear industry today set out an ambitious framework to cut the cost of constructing new power stations in the UK. In a new report, a cross-industry team, working as part of the Government-backed Nuclear Sector Deal, set out the key factors to reduce risk and bring down costs by 30% by 2030. TerraPraxis partner organisation, LucidCatalyst was part of the team.