US-based project will ‘lay foundation’ for use of reactors in maritime sector
UK-based maritime nuclear innovation company Core Power has launched a US-anchored maritime civil nuclear programme, titled Liberty, that aims to bring floating nuclear power to market by the mid-2030s.
The programme will lay the foundation for the use of nuclear power in the civil maritime sector, Core Power said, adding it will encompass modular construction of advanced fission technology and create the regulatory and supply chain frameworks necessary to enable this technology to be rolled out worldwide.
Core Power chief executive officer Mikal Boe said the Liberty programme will unlock a floating power market worth $2.6tn (€2.4tn), and shipyard construction of nuclear will deliver on time and on budget.
“Given that 65% of economic activity takes place on the coast, this will allow nuclear to reach new markets,” Boe said.
The first part of the programme will see the mass production of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), while the second part will involve developing nuclear propulsion for civil ships.
Core Power said: “A fleet of FNPPs can be mass produced and towed to customer locations without complex site preparations, while a central yard carries out commissioning, maintenance, refuelling, and waste management.
“This mass production is possible because the Liberty programme will employ advanced nuclear technologies, such as molten salt reactors.
“Unlike conventional nuclear technologies, these next-generation reactors are inherently and passively safe and operate at near atmospheric pressures – negating the need for a large emergency exclusion zone and vastly improving the insurability of FNPPs and nuclear-powered commercial ships.”
Earlier this month Core Power said it had partnered with naval architecture company Glosten for the design of a floating nuclear power plant for ports in the US.
