How did you start working with the Repower initiative?

In 2019, Lukasz Bartela from the Silesian University of Technology and Paweł Gładysz from the AGH University of Science and Technology were invited by Staffan Qvist to collaborate on analyses for applying the Coal-to-Nuclear decarbonization pathway. The technical and economic analyses focused on Polish coal-fired units. These studies were conducted in two phases: first for the Environmental Defense Fund (2019-2020), and then for the Quadrature Climate Foundation (2021-2022). Publications based on the team’s work have been cited in many important reports on the Coal-to-Nuclear decarbonisation pathway, including the DOE Report from 2022. These joint activities initiated a permanent collaboration under the Repower initiative.
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What are you working on now, after completing the case study?

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The results of the analyses formed the basis for the DEsire project, which is currently being implemented in Poland by a consortium of five institutions: the Silesian University of Technology (Project Leader), the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Energoprojekt-Katowice SA, the Institute of Chemistry and Nuclear Technology, and the Sobieski Institute. The project aims to develop a plan for the decarbonization of Polish coal-fired power plants through the use of nuclear reactors. The plan will be implemented by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. Additionally, a Platform for Energy Transition will be created to organize stakeholders in the transition of the Polish energy sector.

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What are your future plans?

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The DEsire project highlighted both the advantages and significant barriers to the Coal-to-Nuclear pathway, particularly for power plants in southern Poland, where effective transformation is crucial from a social perspective. As part of the DEsire team, we intend to continue analytical work on this pathway. Prof. Anna Skorek-Osikowska from the DEsire team initiated the Net-Zero Poland Initiative, aiming to optimize the decarbonization of the Polish economy. We also plan to develop concepts for utilizing post-mining excavations to construct electricity, heat, and cold storage systems. The Group for Energy Storage Technologies (GEST) is leading R&D projects in this area.