On 27 May 2025, Kirsty Gogan, Founding Director and Co-CEO of Terra Praxis, delivered the keynote address at the IAEA Stakeholder Engagement Conference in Vienna, Austria. Titled "From Mega Projects to Mass Manufacturing: A New Nuclear Paradigm," her address emphasized the need for a fundamental shift in the approach to developing and deploying nuclear projects in order to meet the world's growing demand.
The Challenge
We are halfway through this critical decade. Around 30 countries have pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050 – a target that would require construction rates of 30 gigawatts each year, for 20 years, starting in 2030.
And that’s not all – industrial energy users are signalling demand for hundreds of gigawatts of reliable clean energy to power their business-critical energy needs – starting in the 2030 timeframe – and many are concluding that nuclear energy would be the most practical option to substitute fossil fuels that currently supply the heat, power, and fuels that power their business-critical energy services.
However, to meet the scale of demand, we need to fundamentally transform how we develop and deploy nuclear projects. Meanwhile, we can't finance away the 2TWe of coal operating globally – nations need this energy.
Reality check: Replacing India's 2,630 MWe Anpara Coal Plant with solar+storage would require 245-381 km² and cost $16-22 billion with 38% curtailment.
The Solution: Products, Not Projects
We must leverage AI, and shift from slow, expensive mega projects to fast, repeatable manufacturing.
Our approach: Mass-manufactured "heat boxes" – containerized reactors built in factories, then deployed using kit-of-parts assembly. These can be:
- Sited within existing coal plant footprints
- Co-located with data centers and industrial facilities, like refineries
- Installed on barges to produce power and synthetic fuels
- Licensed once, then built many times
The Vision
If we execute this transformation, we can:
- Repower 2TWe of coal capacity
- Deliver refinery-scale hydrogen production
- Substitute 100M barrels of oil per day equivalent
This creates entirely new categories of emissions-free energy services that preserve jobs while powering industrial civilization. Heat boxes could be deployable wherever dense, reliable, clean energy is needed.
Nuclear Energy for Real-World Needs: An End-User Dialogue
Following her keynote address, the panel, moderated by Jeff Donovan of the IAEA, on 'Nuclear Energy for Real-World Needs: An End-User Dialogue,' examined the increasing role of industrial sectors and high-tech companies in adopting nuclear energy and advanced nuclear technologies. The session highlighted how these sectors can leverage nuclear power to achieve decarbonization goals, support innovation, and drive economic growth. It also explored the potential of advanced technologies, such as small modular reactors, to power future industrial and technological advancements.
Speakers included:
- Mr. George Borovas, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, United States
- Mr. Mingang Huang, China National Nuclear Corporation, China
- Mr. Henry Preston, World Nuclear Association
- Mr. Andrei Rozhdestvin, Rosatom Energy Projects JSC, Russian Federation
- Mr. Devon Swezey, Senior Manager, Global Energy and Climate, Google, United States
- Mr. Mark Tipping, Lloyd’s Register, United Kingdom
Kirsty's keynote address and the panel session can be watched online here: https://lnkd.in/eBB-8TN2