Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) of South Korea says that it has received approval in principle (AiP) from ABS for the concept design of its ‘CMSR Power Barge’, a floating offshore nuclear power plant.
CMSR Power Barge is a new concept power generation facility that supplies electricity and thermal energy produced by using compact molten salt reactor (CMSR) technology. It is a fusion of nuclear power and shipbuilding technology and it has fewer constraints for site selection and facility condition. It takes about two years to build and costs less than a land-based facility.
The CMSR Power Barge can be equipped with two to eight 100MW CMSRs in accordance with demand for power production. It is a ‘nuclear power plant on the sea’ with steam turbine generators and transmission/distribution facilities in the floating body. SHI signed a business agreement with CMSR developer Seaborg, in January 2022 to develop floating nuclear power plant products. SHI plans to commercialise it by 2028 after completing detailed design of all power generation facilities. Seaborg’s own business activities focus on developing countries that lack constant electricity supplies.
SHI expects the CMSR Power Barge to expand demand not only as an alternative demand for existing fossil fuel power generation facilities, but also as an electricity and thermal energy source for industrial heating systems, hydrogen production, and seawater desalination facilities.
Yeo Dong-il, head of marine design SHI, said: “We will continuously develop technologies for floating nuclear power plants, which will lead a new market.”
