ABS greenlights floating nuclear power barge concept

Class society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has approved a floating nuclear power barge concept developed by South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE).

IMAGE: Concept design of the nuclear power-generation vessel. Crowley

The barge will be powered by a small modular reactor (SMR), capable of generating up to 300 megawatts per unit of electricity.

SMRs require less maintenance and are generally considered safer than traditional nuclear reactors because their core reactors can be automatically cooled down when accidents occur.

HD KSOE’s floating nuclear power barge is designed to generate electricity for port facilities, onshore industrial operations and other applications. Nuclear energy could also be supplied as renewable electricity to produce zero-emission fuels such as e-methanol and green ammonia.

“The floating nuclear power plant is expected to play a key role in building a future powered by clean energy,” a spokesperson from HD KSOE said.

Another company, Core Power, has also conceptualised a floating nuclear power plant that can be deployed near US ports to supply electricity for shore power and port operations.

By Konica Bhatt

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