CORE POWER Hires Engineering Firm to Support Floating Nuclear Power Plants

Shipping nuclear propulsion start-up CORE POWER, which in November of last year announced a deal with Westinghouse for design and development of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), has hired an architectural and marine engineering firm to help design FNPPs that could provide energy for operations at U.S. shipping ports. Glosten, with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Providence, Rhode Island, said it will work with CORE on that company's floating nuclear power plants (FNPP) concept. CORE's FNPP is a nearshore infrastructure system that includes a barge-based nuclear power plant along with barge support services, electrical grid integration, and operational teams. CORE, which has offices in London in the UK, Washington, D.C., and Tokyo, Japan, has said its system is easy to transport and rapidly deploy, and could supply an estimated 175 GWh of electricity annually. The company has said its FNPP would allow ports to achieve zero-emissions electrical generation for visiting ships, terminal cranes and equipment, and port vehicles.

'Operational Concept"

Glisten on Jan. 29 said it was engaged by CORE POWER "to develop the operational concept and design the floating facility for the FNPP. Glosten will also establish a regulatory path for the barge, navigate site location approvals, and identify a potential supply chain network for the FNPP's fabrication, assembly, integration, transportation, and installation." [caption id="attachment_228684" align="alignnone" width="640"]

This artist's rendering shows how a CORE POWER floating nuclear power plant (FNPP), at left, might look when docked at a shipping port. The FNPP would supply electricity for the port's operations. Source: Glosten[/caption] "The marine industry has experienced a massive push to decarbonize, and CORE POWER's FNPP offers an effective and practical means to meet that demand," said Morgan Fanberg, CEO of Glosten. "Glosten's job is to turn CORE POWER's vision into a design that demonstrates the practicality of providing reliable, zero-emissions nuclear power to port facilities and has a defined path to regulatory approval." Mikal Bøe, CEO of CORE POWER, said "Nuclear fission is a well-understood and practized process. It allows us to access an enormous energy resource safely, reliably, and on demand without emitting greenhouse gases. FNPPs will be shipyard-manufactured and mass-assembled, ensuring delivery speed and low costs." The companies said their initial project is in the concept phase. It is being designed with the intent to serve what was called "a non-specific port located in the southern United States."

Regulatory Path

Glosten as part of its role also will establish a regulatory path for the barge. The company will work on site location clearances, and also explore a viable supply chain network for the FNPP's manufacture, assembly, integration, shipping, and installation. Glosten is working with CORE POWER to conduct risk assessments, and also on the layout of a barge that would hold the nuclear reactors. "Our team excels at navigating complex regulatory environments to facilitate the use of alternative energy," said Fanberg. "We're taking a very thorough and deliberate approach, making sure we're performing the necessary risk-based assessments to maximize safety as well as considering the practicalities of implementation. In a way, the FNPP is our definition of the perfect project—in terms of what we can provide, but also because of the greater good it stands to achieve. We're excited to help CORE POWER realize their vision and help the industry progress towards decarbonization." Glosten, founded in 1958, is a consulting firm of naval architects and marine, electrical, production, and ocean engineers. The firm’s design experience includes research vessels, tugs, barges, passenger and car ferries, and special-purpose platforms. Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.