ABS has issued approval in principle (AIP) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for a concept of a floating small modular reactor (SMR)-powered power module.
The design is intended to generate electricity offshore and near shore, supporting port facilities and onshore communities.
The AIP is the second for a floating nuclear power barge design from HD KSOE and is the latest step in a long running collaboration with ABS on nuclear technologies, including another power barge design and a 15,000 teu nuclear propelled containership.
“Floating nuclear power facilities show promise in supporting power grids, microgrids, industrial and port operations, data centres, and other uses. Additionally, today’s advanced nuclear technology has a different risk profile from traditional reactor technology with state-of-the-art designs and with lower enrichment fuels, making commercial offshore and maritime applications more viable,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS’s chief technology officer.
ABS published the industry’s first comprehensive rules for floating nuclear power in October last year.
Christopher Wiernicki, ABS’s chairman and CEO, told delegates attending February’s New Nuclear for Maritime Houston Summit: “New nuclear is a transformational technology. It disrupts the commercial model, the economics of shipping, as well as the operation of vessels and of course their design. Not only does it offer zero carbon operations but higher power with faster transit speeds, increased cargo storage due to the elimination of fuel storage and it unlocks the potential for reverse cold ironing where the vessel powers the port. Finally, critically, it eliminates the need to bunker fuel potentially over the entire lifespan of the asset.”
