Coal plant burns coal to heat water, makes steam, and the steam powers a turbine to produce electricity. A nuclear power plant uses nuclear fuel to heat water and produce steam similar to a coal plant. It may do this indirectly (e.g. second loop between the nuclear fuel and water loop to prevent the water becoming radioactive). This means that to build a nuclear plant you essentially need to build a coal plant, and then also the nuclear reactor and safety stuff, which makes them more expensive. Since coal plants are being turned off anyways, it might be more cost effective to just retrofit old coal plants so the only cost is the nuclear reactor side of things (plus any necessary maintenance and upgrades)
Comment on The world's only coal-to-nuclear reactor plant just broke ground in Wyoming
lowleveldata@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
So it’s just a nuclear plant and has nothing to do with coal?
jjagaimo@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Mythnubb@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
Sounds like it’s replacing the neighboring coal power plant.
vinniep@beehaw.org 3 weeks ago
I had to dig up some other sources for info, but this is the case. The new plant has nothing to do with coal, but it is being built to replace the power production and local power related jobs in that area.
Sources:
sonori@beehaw.org 3 weeks ago
At first glance I thought it was reuseing the coal plants turbines, but looking though the article the only connection I can find is that it’s located several miles away and the only connection is that it plans to hire a hundred or so people from the coal plant it’s replacing and that Wyoming’s powder river basin is nearby and its associated highly automated low sulfur coal mines are in the vauge area.
All this to say, yes it has practically nothing to do with coal.
Dempf@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I wonder if it has to do with reusing the transmission lines from the coal plant.