Core Power of the U.K. has announced that it will develop a “U.S.-based” maritime civil nuclear program that will “bring floating nuclear power to market by the mid-2030s”. Core Power plans mass production of floating nuclear power plants.
Launched during Core Power's New Nuclear for Maritime summit in Houston, Texas, on February 12th of this year, the Liberty program “will lay the foundation for the use of nuclear power in the civil maritime sector”. the company said, “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.”
The first phase of the program will see the mass production of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs). The expertise gained in rolling out FNPPs on a large scale will pave the way for the second phase of the program, which will involve developing nuclear propulsion for civil ships.
Core Power said FNPPs will be constructed in shipyards on a modular production line, using well-established shipbuilding processes and an already-skilled workforce. They will be manufactured as power barges that can be moored at ports and coastal locations. Larger-capacity generation units will be anchored further offshore. A fleet of FNPPs can be mass produced and towed to customer locations without the need for complex site preparations, it said. A central yard will carry out commissioning, maintenance, refueling, and waste management. The Liberty program will utilize advanced nuclear technologies, such as molten salt reactors.
Core Power said, “The Liberty program envisions opening the orderbook for FNPPs in 2028 and reaching full commercialization by the middle of the next decade.” The company will select a location in the USA to construct the initial manufacturing yard for FNPPs.”
The second phase of the program will focus on developing the supply chain and workforce that will be needed. The third phase will include the development of business operations models and the creation of the manufacturing base. Simultaneously, Core Power plans to aid the development of international safety and security standards by collaborating with the International Maritime Organization and the International Atomic Energy Authority to create a civil liability convention for nuclear-powered ships.
The program, Core Power said, will also encompass creating the robust regulatory framework that will be necessary to operate FNPPs and civil vessels with nuclear propulsion. It will also include the supply chains (such as fuel and highly trained personnel) that will allow advanced nuclear reactors to function.
Mikal Bøe is the CEO of Core Power. He said, “The Liberty program will unlock a floating power market worth two trillion six hundred thousand dollars, and shipyard construction of nuclear will deliver on time and on budget. Given that sixty-five percent of economic activity takes place on the coast, this will allow nuclear power to reach new markets.”
Bøe added that “Core Power's Liberty program will deliver resilient energy security for heavy industry and ocean transport. In doing so, it will revolutionize the maritime sector and transform global trade.”
In October of last year, Core Power announced that it had signed an agreement with the Mitsubishi Research Institute to research market conditions for a maritime civil nuclear program in Japan.