The American Bureau of Shipping, Core Power and Athlos Energy intend to collaborate on the evaluation of the potential of deploying floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) to meet the energy demands of islands, ports and coastal communities in the Mediterranean Sea.
The partners will research how FNPPs can unlock a wide range of applications, including the provision of grid-scale electricity to remote locations, decarbonizing ports by providing emission-free energy and providing reliable clean energy to desalination plants that will supply potable water to drought-affected coastal communities.
Core Power said, “Nuclear energy is ideally suited to support energy demands across the electric, industrial, shipping and transportation sectors to optimize energy generation, utilize and maintain grid reliability, as well as contribute to decarbonization,”.
In October of 2024, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) presented the industry’s first comprehensive requirements for floating nuclear power plants. This consortium will produce original FNPP concepts of operations and publish a visual display of their prospective locations.
The ABS Global Ship Systems Centre will lead a political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) study alongside key stakeholders with the goal of assessing the feasibility of adapting FNPP concepts to supply power and other benefits in the Aegean Sea. The main deliverable of this collaboration will be an public-access white paper for use by industry, policymakers and government.
Mikal Bøe is the founder and CEO of U.K.-based technology company Core Power. He said, “FNPPs can revolutionize the way we deliver reliable and affordable nuclear energy to provide vital carbon free energy security to islands and coastal infrastructure in the Mediterranean. By constructing and mass-assembling a fleet of FNPPs in shipyards, we can deliver clean nuclear energy on time and budget, solving many of the largest energy challenges we face. Core Power is delighted to partner with industry leaders, ABS and Athlos, on this project.”
Christopher Wiernicki is the ABS Chairman and CEO. He said, “As global efforts accelerate to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiencies and strengthen energy security, the use of small modular reactors on floating platforms could offer a viable alternative. Floating nuclear power facilities show promise in supporting power grids, microgrids, industrial and port operations and data centers, among others.”
Dionysios Chionis is the co-founder of Athlos Energy which was established in 2024 to promote the use of nuclear energy in Greece. He added, “As Greece reconsiders its energy future, the role of nuclear power is increasingly back on the agenda. This study marks an important first step in accessing the feasibility of deploying floating nuclear reactors in the Aegean Sea.”
In February of this year, Core Power announced it would develop a “U.S.-anchored” maritime civil nuclear program that will “bring floating nuclear power to market by the mid-2030s”. The new Liberty program “will lay the foundation for the use of nuclear power in the civil maritime sector” the company said. The first part of the program will consist of the mass production of floating nuclear power plants. The expertise gained in producing FNPPs on a large scale will pave the way for the second part of the program, which involves developing nuclear propulsion for civil ships. The Liberty program will utilize advanced nuclear technologies, such as molten salt reactors.
In November of 2025, Westinghouse and Core Power announced they had signed a cooperative agreement under which they will develop the design of a floating nuclear power plant using Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor and its heat pipe technology. They will also collaborate to create a regulatory approach to licensing floating nuclear power plant systems.