Report: KSOE reveals design of SMR-powered vessel
Korean shipbuilding giant, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), has unveiled the design of a small modular reactor (SMR)-powered ship, Business Korea reports.
This marks the first time a Korean company has revealed such a detailed design concept for an SMR-powered vessel as nuclear power emerges as a credible zero-emission pathway for the shipping industry to decarbonize.
According to the report, the design involves a 240 megawatt (MW) SMR-powered ship, featuring four sets of 60-megawatt SMRs. The vessel would be a floating SMR facility on the sea, with the SMR placed on the bottom and a platform on top that produces carbon-free fuel such as hydrogen.
KSOE’s move into SMR technology is not its first foray into the field. In November 2022, the company invested US$30 million (approximately 42.5 billion won) in TerraPower, an SMR company founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. The project aims to build an SMR in the state of Wyoming in the United States by 2030.
Other South Korean shipbuilders are also working on the development of the technology. Samsung Heavy Industries, for example, has partnered up with KAERI on developing floating nuclear power plants based on molten salt reactors (MSR) technology.
Furthermore, the shipbuilder has completed the conceptual design for a CMSR Power barge, a floating facility for offshore nuclear power plants, and secured approval in principle from the U.S.-bassed ABS classification society.
Last month, Korean industry majors, led by shipping heavyweights HMM and Sinokor, joined forces on the development of nuclear-powered ships.
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