Local Engagement, Global Impact

The many benefits of expanding EPRI’s presence around the world

By Chris Warren

Last November’s gathering of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change brought together government, industry, non-profit, and other stakeholders from across the globe. EPRI had a strong presence at COP29, which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, including participation in several panel discussions about topics such as the challenges of meeting net zero goals in a period of rising electricity demand and how artificial intelligence (AI) can accelerate the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation used COP as the venue to announce a grant to EPRI supporting the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program. As part of FIRST’s Project Phoenix, EPRI’s Advanced Nuclear Technology staff will conduct assessments to evaluate the possible conversion of existing coal plants in Ukraine to SMRs.

The work will include mapping suitable SMR technologies to specific sites, evaluating existing equipment and technology for possible reuse, analyzing environmental issues, and developing guidance for both engaging communities and transitioning workers to new roles. EPRI will work closely with stakeholders in Ukraine’s energy sector and expects to complete its assessment by the end of 2025. The project in Ukraine is part of a larger global effort to speed commercial deployment of SMRs—which was a topic of intense interest in Baku.

A Local Presence

EPRI’s participation at last year’s COP29 is part of a larger institutional commitment to build broader and deeper engagements across the globe. There are myriad reasons for EPRI to enhance its global presence, including the opportunity to share best practices and technology solutions in structured collaborations around the world.

“Countries want their economies and their capabilities to rise as a result of smart energy investments,” said Neil Wilmshurst, who led EPRI’s COP29 delegation and is EPRI’s Chief Nuclear Strategy Officer and Managing Director, EPRI Gulf. “They want to see a greater local presence. To play our role in helping regions secure reliable, affordable power, we’re going to take our global approach deeper to have a local presence and local capabilities.”

With more than 400 member companies in 45 countries, EPRI has bolstered global partnerships to build its local capacity. Besides participating at global forums like COP, EPRI has international offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Dublin, Ireland, international employees in Latin America and Asia, and is increasingly active at events, such as the “Powering the Future Toward Net Zero” forum in Saudi Arabia. EPRI co-hosted the forum with the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), a regional organization whose mission is to manage an interconnected power grid among member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the International Association of Large Grid Operators, GO15, and the Mediterranean Transmission System Operators Association (MED-TSO).

While these sorts of collaborations are important, EPRI also understands that true global engagement demands consistent, on-the-ground effort to build knowledge and trust within individual nations. For Wilmshurst, that means being grounded in how EPRI provides knowledge and expertise around the world, including insights and experience provided by local technical experts.

“To be successful in transferring knowledge and technology, you must be very aware of the local context you’re working in,” Wilmshurst said. “Every region is different and will need nuanced approaches.”

Expanded Opportunities for Collaboration

Expanding EPRI’s capacity to support members in nations and communities around the world is the most effective strategy to make a more profound, beneficial impact.

Here’s why: Collaboration is core to EPRI’s work. Whether it’s partnering with national research laboratories, member utilities, universities, or companies, the value of EPRI’s research multiplies when it includes myriad stakeholders with unique experience and expertise. And the benefits collaboration can deliver deepen and expand when it includes a broader set of partners.

“There’s a huge amount going on outside the U.S. that everyone can learn from. If you’re present in Japan, Korea, Italy, and Africa, you can see what they’re doing, provide input, and bring lessons back,” Wilmshurst said. “If you have a bigger network, everyone moves faster.”

Why Events Like COP29 Matter

Participating in events like COP29 that bring together policymakers, regulators, academics, companies, and others is an important tool for expanding potential partnership opportunities. In part, that’s the result of formal and informal face-to-face engagement with people you would otherwise have no reason to meet. However, global forums like COP29 can also be an important starting point for understanding the nuanced local challenges and opportunities nations face as they contemplate energy technologies, policy, and investments.

This was exactly the case at COP29 in Baku. Indeed, on one level, Wilmshurst was struck by how much focus was devoted to data centers and artificial intelligence (AI). For many participants, a central challenge of the energy transition is finding ways to power energy-hungry data centers without derailing ambitions to achieve net-zero carbon emissions targets. “Is AI a challenge or an opportunity? This is the question that is posed again and again,” Wilmshurst said.

COP attendees from emerging economies, however, were having very different conversations. Instead of contemplating the necessity of keeping coal plants operating to run data centers or how quickly new nuclear capacity could be brought online, emerging economy participants focused on the potential renewable energy has to solve pressing societal problems.

“It’s about getting reliable electricity to communities where access has long been a challenge – where energy is not just a climate issue, but a matter of equity and survival,” Wilmshurst said. “It reminds us that a truly global energy transition must account for vastly different starting points, ambitions, and challenges.”

Turning Engagement into Action

Gatherings like COP29 provide insights that EPRI can use to guide future partnerships and research. For example, a prevalent theme of discussion in Baku was about the broader impacts of clean energy technologies. “There was a lot of talk about the environmental impact of what we’re doing to address climate change,” Wilmshurst said. “We need lithium for EV batteries, but what environmental impact does that have on communities where the mines are? We can build solar panels that cover the whole of California. But is there a better way to do this?”

They also highlight areas where EPRI’s existing knowledge and expertise can deliver immediate value. For example, in Baku—unlike previous COPs—there was less of a focus on pinpointing a magical technology that can solve the world’s energy and climate challenges. “What changed in Baku was the conversation became more pragmatic. It’s actually about trying to build stuff,” Wilmshurst said. “That was a discernable change from past COPs.”

EPRI’s depth of research about everything from grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) to materials to license extensions for nuclear power plants can all help support global efforts to increase the supply of electricity from low-carbon sources.

For Wilmshurst, COP29 was also a reminder of how much EPRI’s fundamental mission aligns with and can support the various goals within world energy systems. This was reinforced when he spoke with a past chair of a COP. “He said people have been fixated too long on finding the cheapest solution to meeting the world’s energy needs and reducing emissions. They now need to find the right solution,” Wilmshurst said. “It’s about finding the right balance of what’s right for society, what’s right for the economy, and what’s right for the environment. I think EPRI can bring a lot to that.”

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