A first-of-its-kind test programme is demonstrating the robustness of transportable nuclear power plants (TNPPs) to resist accidental and threat scenarios – and generating critical data needed to support licensing for commercialisation of the plants by 2030.

Canada-based Prodigy Clean Energy and Serco said the testing had been funded in part by a CAD2.7m ($1.9m, €1.7m) award from the Canadian federal government as part of a programme to develop small modular reactors (SMRs).

Prodigy said its TNPPs will be fabricated at a maritime facility then transported to site, offering rapid deployment solutions to bring new nuclear power online sooner and at competitive costs.