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From Mega Projects to Mass Manufacturing: A New Nuclear Paradigm LucidCatalyst's Managing Partner Kirsty Gogan was honored to give the keynote address at the  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)   hashtag#StakeholderEngagement  
Conference, sharing LucidCatalyst's and our partner non-profit organization  Terra Praxis 's vision for transforming nuclear deployment at scale.  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. Watch here:  https://lnkd.in/eBB-8TN2   Scroll to position   08:59:27/12:33:19 to view Kirsty's address.

RE+build Conference:
May 6 and 7, 2025, at the Riva del Garda Congress Centre, Italy
REbuild is the first Italian event dedicated to sustainable innovation in the built environment. Link to conference website

Renewable energies are key to the energy transition, especially when deployed at scale through technological innovations. However, reaching the target requires acceleration in energy storage and smart grids. Green hydrogen is a major driver of decarbonization, even in the most challenging sectors. Energy-sharing models are essential to create systems for self-consumption exchange. Meanwhile, the debate around a controversial energy source – nuclear power – is intensifying. Some European countries are considering it as a valid transition strategy. Can it be considered a new frontier for decarbonization? Concrete projects, hypotheses, and future scenarios are all part of this open discussion. LucidCatalyst's Managing Partner Eric Ingersoll spoke on the panel: New frontiers of energy sources for decarbonization SPEAKERS Paola Clerici Maestosi , Senior Researcher – ENEA Eric Ingersoll , Managing Partner – LucidCatalyst Silvia Ricciuti , Researcher & EGE – Fondazione Bruno Kessler – Centro Sustainable Energy (SE) 🎤  Moderator:  Mauro Burgio – Bryden Wood Milano CONFERENCE FORMAT Introduction by the sponsoring company  (5 min) Presentation by international speaker Eric Ingersoll  (12 min) Presentation by speaker Paola Clerici Maestosi  (7 min) Presentation by speaker Silvia Ricciuti  (7 min) Final discussion with questions from the moderator to the speakers  (15 min)

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland January 21, 2025 Following a successful collaboration throughout 2024 between Terra Praxis (a non profit organization founded by LucidCatalyst's managing partners) and the World Economic Forum, LucidCatalyst's Managing Partner Kirsty Gogan chaired the first-ever public session focused on nuclear energy at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20-24 2025. At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos, a landmark event took place: the first-ever public panel discussion on nuclear energy, convened to address the ambitious goal of tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. Kirsty Gogan, Founding Director and Co-CEO of Terra Praxis, expertly chaired the session, leading a discussion among leading figures from the global energy sector. The panel recording is available on the WEF page here . "This is a real milestone for the World Economic Forum. This is the first publicly facing panel that's ever been hosted on nuclear energy at Davos," Kirsty noted at the start, setting the stage for a crucial conversation. She emphasized the urgency of the situation: "We’re at a pivotal moment... Thirty countries have pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, which requires a construction rate of around 30 gigawatts a year each year for 20 years, starting in 2030." This ambitious target, coupled with the burgeoning demand from industrial energy users for "hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy to power their business-critical operations," highlighted the scale of the challenge. Kirsty further underscored the potential of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), capable of being deployed alongside existing infrastructure. "Part of the appeal of this dense, compact, reliable, and clean source of heat and power is that SMRs...can be co-located at coal plant sites, at refineries, with data centers, with steel, chemical, and aluminum plants," she explained, emphasizing their versatility and potential to minimize environmental impact. This innovative approach, focusing on mass manufacturing and standardized designs to reduce costs and accelerate deployment, offers a pathway toward dramatically increasing the speed and efficiency of building new nuclear plants. The process aims to achieve significant cost reductions through economies of scale and advanced manufacturing techniques, similar to those seen in other high-volume industries. Moreover, the streamlined approach to licensing, accelerated by AI, is expected to significantly reduce regulatory hurdles and timelines. Adding a crucial political perspective, Deputy Prime Minister for Sweden, Ebba Busch, articulated the reasons behind the renewed interest in nuclear energy: "For me, it's three things," she stated, "It's facts, it's physics, and it's the need for hope for the future." She highlighted the stark reality: "Without a significant amount of baseload, dispatchable energy, transitioning to a green economy simply won’t work." Her assessment of the industry’s readiness to meet the demand was a confident "nine out of ten," reflecting a growing optimism within the sector. This optimism was echoed by Wen Shugang, Chairman of China Huaneng Group, who stated, "It has become increasingly clear that nuclear energy offers a sustainable path forward." He pointed to advancements in safety and technology, emphasizing the expanding applications of nuclear power beyond electricity generation to include the production of heat and hydrogen—essential elements in the global transition to cleaner energy. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offered a balanced perspective, acknowledging that while progress is being made, significant challenges remain. "In the West, there are challenges, but the industry, I think, can be up to the challenge," he noted, emphasizing that success depends on navigating complex regulatory, financial, industrial, technological, and political landscapes. The IAEA itself is actively working to foster international collaboration, knowledge sharing, and regulatory harmonization to help overcome these obstacles. Darryl White, CEO of BMO Financial Group, addressed the vital issue of financing. "The shift that we've seen in the last five and six years has been profound," he observed, noting the increasing interest from investors. He cautioned, however, that, "we don’t have full alignment on frameworks and taxonomies... financing nuclear projects remains a significant challenge that needs to be addressed collaboratively." The Davos panel demonstrates the growing momentum behind nuclear energy, reaffirming its critical role in the transition to a sustainable energy future. Photo credit: World Economic Forum Panel Session: ''The Road to Tripling Nuclear Capacity'' Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 15:00 – 15:45 CET / 09:00 - 09:45am ET The declaration to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050 has been supported by public and private sector stakeholders who view nuclear as a key solution to achieve Net Zero and energy transition goals. How can momentum be turned into action to rapidly scale up the world’s nuclear capacity? ‍ The panel featured: • Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Austria • Ebba Busch, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry of Sweden • Luc Rémont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EDF (Electricité de France), France • Wen Shugang, Chairman, China Huaneng Group, People's Republic of China • Darryl White, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group, Canada The panel recording is available on the WEF page here . Learn more about the collaboration between Terra Praxis and the World Economic Forum here . ‍ We are grateful to our colleagues at WEF's Program on "Clean Power, Grids and Electrification" at the Centre for Energy & Materials. The Centre for Energy and Materials is driving initiatives and coalitions to ensure the energy transition is sustainable, secure, resilient and affordable.

January 16, 2025 "The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy'' is a major new report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), to which LucidCatalyst staff working with our NGO partner, Terra Praxis, are pleased to have contributed. The report shows the fresh impetus behind nuclear in the form of new policies, projects, investments and technological advances, such as small modular reactors (SMRs). It provides a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, identifying the major challenges that need to be addressed to build on the current momentum and enable a new era to take hold. This includes insights on how to finance new nuclear projects while ensuring reliable and diversified supply chains for building and fueling them. The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy by the International Energy Agency (IEA), looks at the opportunities for nuclear energy to address energy security and climate concerns – and the critical elements needed to pursue these opportunities, including policies, innovation and financing. Nuclear energy is a well-established technology that has provided electricity and heat to consumers for well over 50 years and is gaining strength in recognition, with rising investment, new technology advances, and supportive policies in over 40 countries. The electricity demand, projected to grow strongly over the next decades, further underpins the importance of having sufficient new sources of stable low-emissions electricity. This report reviews the status of nuclear energy and explores risks related to policies, construction and financing. It provides the long-term outlook for nuclear power, quantifying nuclear power capacity and the related investment over the period to 2050. With continued innovation, sufficient government support and new business models, small modular reactors can play a pivotal role in enabling a new era for nuclear energy. It highlights potential mechanisms to unlock financing while also emphasizing the critical importance of adequate planning for the required workforce and supply chains. Read Report Watch Webcast Read Press Release LucidCatalyst's managing partners representing Terra Praxis work with the highest levels of government and global organizations like the IEA. On September 13, 2024, Terra Praxis, as the only non-profit organization invited, was honored to participate and contribute to the invitation only IEA conference ' 'Enabling Nuclear Power in Secure and Affordable Energy Transitions'', where the current impediments and potential solutions to enable nuclear power as part of the clean energy transition were discussed. The discussions served as a key input for this report. IEA conference in Paris, France, on September 13, 2024

MIT Club of Northern California & Terra Praxis December 3, 2024 Eric Ingersoll, Managing Partner of LucidCatalyst and Founding Director and Co-CEO of the nonprofit Terra Praxis, presented for the MIT Club of Northern California (MITCNC) webinar, moderated by Ray A. Rothrock, Terra Praxis Board of Directors member, and an American venture capitalist and philanthropist focused on securing energy solutions for the 21st century. Eric shared a strategy and the progress underway to enable 10 TWe of clean energy to be deployed in 10 years, starting in 2030. He described a practical approach for repurposing coal plants — as well as other industrial energy infrastructure — cost-effectively, quickly, and at scale. View the event page

LucidCatalyst is working with Terra Praxis on this U.S. Government-Funded Coal-to-Nuclear Project in Ukraine, which includes Generative AI Capabilities with Microsoft, and Global Framework with the World Economic Forum to Deliver Fast, Low-Cost, and Scalable Nuclear Deployment. November 18, 2024 Terra Praxis press release ‍Brussels, Belgium. November 18, 2024 – Today, with commitments being made by world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), Terra Praxis announced solutions and progress with partners to help achieve these commitments and meet rising global demand for clean energy. Speaking at the Belgium ‘Together Towards New Nuclear’ event, Terra Praxis announced that it has been awarded a U.S. Department of State grant to help facilitate the transition of Ukraine’s coal-fired power plants to advanced nuclear. Terra Praxis also introduced new AI for licensing capabilities to accelerate repowering of hundreds of retired coal sites with advanced nuclear, following collaboration with Microsoft. It is also launching a framework developed by the World Economic Forum , in collaboration with Terra Praxis and other stakeholders, to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear and SMRs. “These developments with our partners represent concrete steps towards meeting rising global demand for reliable, clean, and competitive energy services including heat and power,” said Kirsty Gogan, Founding Director & Co-CEO, Terra Praxis. “They demonstrate meaningful headway towards scalable solutions needed to support an equitable and clean energy transition.” The U.S. Department of State grant awarded to Terra Praxis and strategic partners aims to accelerate Ukraine’s conversion of coal-fired power plants to reliable and safe zero-carbon nuclear energy with small modular reactors (SMRs). Terra Praxis will demonstrate the capability of a REPOWER innovative standardized building system and digital project delivery tool to dramatically simplify coal-to-nuclear site design and project delivery; and make the investment case for fleet-wide repurposing of coal plants in Ukraine. The U.S. and Ukraine partnership was announced yesterday by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie Jenkins, and the Ukraine Minister of Energy, German Galushchenko. The Terra Praxis project is part of a $30 million project in the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program that will help position Ukraine to take a post-war leadership role on secure and safe nuclear energy. They were joined by U.S. Department of Energy Acting Assistant Secretary, Michael Goff, and an executive from the Electric Power Research Institute. Terra Praxis also introduced new AI capabilities to the advanced nuclear market that will significantly accelerate the licensing and permitting processes for advanced nuclear energy and other clean energy sources. By integrating with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Terra Praxis is bringing these transformative capabilities to industry and government, with the potential to advance preliminary license applications to repurpose hundreds of retiring and retired coal plant and nuclear sites for advanced nuclear development.   A recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy identified the opportunity to add up to 174 GWe of new nuclear capacity at 145 retired or retiring coal plant sites, and up to 95 GWe additional capacity at existing nuclear plant sites. Terra Praxis is designing solutions to operationalize this opportunity to maximize existing transmission assets, protect jobs, increase energy security, and massively boost the supply of reliable clean energy. Typically, the cost of producing an Early Site Permit (ESP) application for one site ranges between $25M-$40M, representing a major barrier to clean energy development today. The AI copilot can draft preliminary ESP applications, radically enhancing the productivity of permitting engineers and radically reducing the time and cost to produce those early drafts – potentially from years to hours or days – and for a fraction of the cost. The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Accenture, Terra Praxis, and other stakeholders across the clean energy ecosystem, has released a framework to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear and SMRs to help meet rising global demand for clean energy. The publication A Collaborative Framework for Accelerating Advanced Nuclear and Small Modular Reactor Deployment serves as a tool to align stakeholders on actions within nine priority areas. The collaboration between the Forum and Terra Praxis has consisted of a year-long series of engagements throughout 2024 to forge collaboration around core actions that can increase investment in scalable advanced nuclear and also ensure these investments deliver broader social, economic, and environmental value. The nonprofit Terra Praxis is executing an integrated REPOWER strategy to deploy fast, low-cost, and repeatable solutions for repurposing existing coal plants and other energy intensive infrastructure (e.g., steel, cement, aviation, shipping) to continue operating with emissions-free power, heat, and steam supplied by mass-manufactured heat sources.

On November 7, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published a new blog "Accelerating new nuclear and small modular reactor deployment," authored by Kirsty Gogan, Managing Partner of LucidCatalyst and Founding Director and Co-CEO of TerraPraxis, and Kristen Panerali, Head of Clean Power and Electrification at the World Economic Forum. The blog addresses the growing demand for clean energy, fueled by electrification, the adoption of artificial intelligence, and expansion in emerging markets. As countries work to move away from carbon-intensive energy sources like coal, the urgency for advanced clean energy solutions intensifies. It emphasizes a new global framework designed to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technology, aiming to unite stakeholders around key actions for harnessing carbon-free heat and power.

Read the blog » Kristen Panerali, Head of Clean Power and Electrification at the World Economic Forum, and Kirsty Gogan, Managing Partner of LucidCatalyst and Founding Director and Co-CEO of TerraPraxis

Global Framework Released to Accelerate the Deployment of Advanced Nuclear and SMRs On November 7, the World Economic Forum (WEF), in collaboration with Accenture, Terra Praxis (non-profit organization founded by LucidCatalyst's managing partners), and other stakeholders across the clean energy ecosystem, has released a framework to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear and SMRs to help meet rising global demand for clean energy. The white paper, "A Collaborative Framework for Accelerating Advanced Nuclear and Small Modular Reactor Deployment," serves as a tool to align stakeholders on actions within nine priority areas to accelerate deployment. The framework has been co-developed with stakeholders from across the nuclear ecosystem including experts from large energy-consuming industries, financiers, reactor vendors, supply chain businesses, utilities, government organizations, non-profits/NGOs and academia. Read the press release » Read the Publication »

Atlanta, Georgia, USA 1 - 2 May 2024 Eric Ingersoll and Kirsty Gogan are pleased to attend the upcoming Reuters SMR & Advanced Reactor Conference in May 2024, in Atlanta – Kirsty as Moderator, representing non-profit Terra Praxis, and Eric as speaker representing LucidCatalyst, at the May 1st session on "Decarbonizing the Tough-to-Decarbonize: Supercharging the Industrial Energy Transition."   Title: Decarbonizing the Tough-to-Decarbonize:  Supercharging the Industrial Energy Transition Industrial processes  contribute almost 30% of all carbon emissions . They depend on high-temperature heat and steam 24/7 due to costly ramp-ups, making them difficult to electrify. Many industrial processes can leverage advanced small modular reactors (aSMRs)—and businesses, governments, and regulators are beginning to take note of the versatility and scalability of the technology to support many industries. For example, heat from aSMRs can create clean fuels, power transportation, support mining processes, power data centers, desalinate water, decarbonize aviation and cement production, and more.  This panel is planning to discuss: The massive and growing demand from commercial and industrial energy users that cannot be met with intermittent renewable or conventional nuclear energy. New SMR designs in the context of a standardized product development and delivery system. Digital fast lanes for swift and cost-effective licensing and permitting to pave the way for deploying aSMRs in industry. Fleet-wide feasibility studies to lower development risk and stimulate investment. Speakers: Kirsty Gogan , Co-Founder, Terra Praxis (moderator) P. Todd Noe , Director of Nuclear Technologies & Engineering, Microsoft Eric Ingersoll , Managing Director, LucidCatalyst William Labbe , President and CEO, ARC Clean Technology

LucidCatalyst Insights Report July 2021 LucidCatalyst wrote this Insights Report about high-temperature geothermal, which we believe is an untapped resource that can be configured and delivered to cost-competitively decarbonize global fuels markets. This approach would use proven chemical production processes. Furthermore, the commodities being produced are ‘drop-in’ substitutes such that they do not require changes (or require relatively minor changes) to existing supply chain infrastructure or consumer behavior. Consequently, developers do not need to wait for technological, supply chain, or regulatory changes to take advantage of these opportunities. Highlights Techno-economics analysis suggests that these production facilities can produce zero-carbon hydrogen and value-added, hydrogen-based commodities (ammonia, CO2-neutral synthetic fuels, etc.) cost-competitively and at a scale relevant to target markets. In the scenarios analysed, these strategies enabled the production of commodities for global markets at the following costs: Jet A: $82/bbl (compared to $90/bbl average for past 10 yrs) Ammonia: $230/tonne (compared to $300/t long-term average for ammonia) Equivalent to approximately $420 per metric tonne of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), which is within its typical trading range Hydrogen: less than $1/kg Electricity: $24/MWh for baseload and $39/MWh, for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week dispatch, with NH3 and water production Desalinated water: $1.23/m3, comparable to the cost of leading desal projects Few, if any, behavior changes will be required of consumers. In some cases, no change will be necessary to supply chain infrastructure. Market pull could enable radical improvements to plant design and delivery, driving high-volume manufacturing of these production facilities.

International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, Austria 14 and 15 November 2023 Eric Ingersoll, Chirayu Batra and Kirsty Gogan (of LucidCatalyst and Terra Praxis) attended and Kirsty gave remarks and opened the session on: The Emerging Potential of Floating Nuclear Power Plants in Vienna. Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require large scale deployment of all low carbon energy sources, including nuclear power. Various studies confirm that nuclear power has a significant role to play in combating climate change and meeting increasing energy demand worldwide, but this will require that nuclear power plants be deployed at a larger scale than is currently the case. The international deployment of FNPPs offers new opportunities but also presents challenges, including the evaluation of international and national legal issues and institutional aspects. The International Atomic Energy Agency hosted the first International Symposium on the Deployment of Floating Nuclear Power Plants – Benefits and Challenge . The purpose of the event has been to explore and discuss the potential deployment of FNPPs to enhance the contribution of nuclear energy to achieving net zero carbon emissions. It focused on different aspects of FNPPs, ranging from their national deployment in territorial waters to more challenging applications that require the transport of fueled FNPPs to other countries or their deployment in international waters.
Themes and Topics included:
Past, current and potential future applications National deployment experiences Overview of national development activities Potential future FNPP deployment scenarios Production of FNPPs using existing shipyards Legal aspects — Safety, Security, Safeguards and Liability Deployment in territorial waters (close to shore and further off shore) Deployment in international waters Licensing, regulation and transport of fueled FNPPs Applicability of international standards and guidance (e.g., IAEA safety standards and security guidance documents) Application of safeguards Further Actions Role of proponents and Member States Role of international organizations ‍
Kirsty Gogan gave expert remarks and moderated the Opening Session:
"THE EMERGING POTENTIAL OF FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS"
The session included experts: Ms Aline Des Cloizeaux, Director, Division of Nuclear Power, IAEA Ms Laura Holgate, Ambassador and Resident Representative to the IAEA, USA Mr Sangim Park, Vice President, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd., Republic of Korea (left to right) Kirsty Gogan, Aline DES CLOIZEAUX, Laura Holgate and Sangmin Park
Kirsty Gogan's presentation > Watch video of sessions > View program > Learn more

In this video by Shell’s Chief Scientist, Dirk Smit, on “how we can transform to a net-zero emissions energy system,” he cites LucidCatalyst's work on off-shore production platforms for producing zero-carbon energy and fuels. See 15:20 to view our renderings of this concept. Please scroll to the beginning in order to watch this entire insightful video.