Westinghouse, Core Power join forces for floating nuclear power plant

Floating nuclear power plants are a game-changing approach to deploying nuclear energy to islands, ports, coastal communities and industry, the companies said. Such plants can be centrally manufactured and easily transported to operation sites, combining advanced nuclear technology with shipyard efficiency. And the transportable eVinci microreactor – which requires minimal maintenance and can operate for eight years at full power before refuelling – is “perfectly suited” to such a use.

Under their newly announced cooperative agreement, Westinghouse and Core Power will advance the design of a floating nuclear power plant using the eVinci microreactor and its heat pipe technology. They will also collaborate to develop a regulatory approach to licensing floating nuclear power plant systems.

Core Power CEO Mikal Bøe said the company’s partnership with Westinghouse would be a “game changer” for nuclear energy customers. “There’s no net-zero without nuclear. A long series of identical turnkey power plants using multiple installations of the Westinghouse eVinci microreactor delivered by sea, creates a real opportunity to scale nuclear as the perfect solution to meet the rapidly growing demand for clean, flexible and reliable electricity delivered on time and on budget,” he said.

Jon Ball, President of eVinci Technologies at Westinghouse, said the “groundbreaking” agreement would demonstrate the viability of the eVinci technology for innovative use cases in remote locations or in areas with land limitations. “We look forward to our partnership with Core Power, bringing the unique advantages of eVinci microreactors to maritime and coastal applications, potentially even paving the way for future disaster relief efforts,” he said.

Westinghouse says the factory-built eVinci reactor – which has very few moving parts – works essentially as a battery, providing the versatility for power systems ranging from several kilowatts to 5 megawatts of electricity. It can also produce high temperature heat suitable for industrial applications, including alternative fuel production such as hydrogen, and has the flexibility to balance renewable output. In September, the company became the first of three microreactor developers supported by the US Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center to submit a Preliminary Safety Design Report, a milestone towards testing at Idaho National Laboratory.

Privately-owned technology and market development company Core Power funds and builds scalable new nuclear technology solutions for ocean transport and heavy industry. It is working to build a maritime civil nuclear programme in the OECD through scalable new nuclear technology solutions for maritime and heavy industries.