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Up to 2040
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Scramble:
Nuclear Energy Growth
Nuclear power helps offset demand for coal, but not as much as people think. Plants take a long time to build. They can be politically controversial. Nuclear capacity will not be sufficient to contribute meaningfully until 2050.
Coal hits constraints. CO2 emissions moderate, then rise again.
The world’s infrastructure for coal transportation reaches its limits. It is no longer possible to move enough coal around by sea or rail to meet the world’s needs.
Blueprints:
CCS deployed commercially
From 2020, CO2 pricing and the cap-and-trade system pave the way for CO2 capture and underground storage. A crucial transition technology from today’s high-carbon energy system to tomorrow’s low-carbon system.
Electrification of transport sector
By 2040 20% of coal power plants have CCS applied and 50% of new vehicles are electric or hydrogen.