US Domestic Market Can Kickstart Nuclear Power as Green Ship Tech: Report

Concept design of a large bulk carrier powered by a molten salt reactor. Image Credit: CORE POWER

Maritime nuclear power advocates CORE POWER say the US' domestic shipping market can serve as the perfect starting point for the technology's uptake as part of efforts to decarbonize the marine shipping industry.

Such a move would also breath new life into a declining US maritime industry, the UK-based group argues.

Nuclear power has long held the promise of delivering large quantities of emissions-free energy, but historically, high costs and political barriers - among other factors - have generally prevented the adoption of nuclear within the commercial fleet.

However, Tony Huston, US Country Head at CORE POWER, says many of the historical Barries could now be overcome with the uptake of nuclear power within the US' domestic market.

"The transport of goods on the US coasts, Great Lakes and internal waterways offers strong proof of concept for nuclear powered decarbonisation without the complex regulatory hurdles of moving reactors between nation-states," Huston said in comments along side the release of a new report on the matter.

The country also has some 70 years experience with marine nuclear power having developed and tested it for use within its navy.

Putting the Blue back in Red, White and Blue

In the report, "Putting the Blue back in Red, White and Blue - Decarbonisation of the US maritime industry with advanced nuclear", CORE POWER identifies two types of reactor technology that are suitable for maritime.

The first is the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) that uses liquid molten fuel salts rather than solid fuel elements assembled in rods like those in conventional Pressurised Water Reactors.

The second is the Heat Pipe Reactor (HPR), which is a "solid-state" reactor with minimal moving parts, allowing for autonomous operation and inherent load following capabilities.

Both technologies would allow ships to sail for as long as a lifetime without refuelling, thus negating the need to handle fresh and spent fuels.

They would also have a very small Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) in port that would not extend outside the boundary of the ship, meaning existing port call protocols could remain unchanged.

The reactors can also be mass-assembled - a major departure from conventional nuclear building techniques, CORE POWER notes.

Further, for ships that are not suitable to be upgraded to direct nuclear power, the technology could be used to produce green e-fuels from nuclear powered floating facilities.

"The deployment of reactors on offshore production platforms will allow the decarbonisation of smaller vessels such as those trading on US internal waterways and would also provide a mixture of electricity, desalinated water, hydrogen, and ammonia to local off-takers," the report says.

Development of nuclear power in the US domestic market could also then see the country become a leader in exporting that technology.

CORE POWER's full report can be read here: https://corepower.energy/report/2022-02