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Ghent is a four-unit, coal-fired power plant with a combined net generating capacity of 1919 MWe and is planned for phased retirement, with units 1 and 2 retiring first and units 3 and 4 retiring afterwards. The plant is located within five miles of several industrial companies that consume large amounts of electricity and may be potential process heat customers. PPL owns about 2300 acres of land around and including the Ghent plant site.

The earlier study, funded by a grant under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) GAIN – Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear – initiative and published in March, found that the Ghent site is suitable for a small modular reactor (SMR) plant. However, the site was found to have potential size constraints for a larger conventional reactor.

GAIN – Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear – is an initiative launched in 2016 by the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy which helps businesses overcome critical technological and commercialization challenges of nuclear energy technologies through a voucher system, giving stakeholders access to the DOE’s R&D facilities and infrastructure to support the cost-effective development of innovative nuclear energy technologies. All awardees are responsible for a minimum 20% cost-share, which could be an in-kind contribution.