New consortium to explore floating nuclear power for Mediterranean energy needs

Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), UK-based maritime nuclear innovation company CORE POWER, and Greek nuclear energy company Athlos Energy have established a consortium to assess the feasibility of deploying floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) in the Mediterranean Sea.

As disclosed, the initiative will focus on evaluating how FNPPs could support the energy needs of islands, ports, and coastal communities in the region. Specifically, the group intends to research how such platforms can potentially unlock a range of applications, including the establishment of grid-scale electricity to remote locations, the delivery of emission-free energy to ports, and the distribution of clean energy to desalination plants that could provide potable water to drought-affected coastal communities.

It is understood that the consortium will develop original FNPP concepts of operations (CONOPS) and publish a visual display of their prospective locations. The ABS Global Ship Systems Center, based in Athens, Greece, is expected to lead a political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) study alongside stakeholders to assess the feasibility of adapting CONOPS to supply power and other benefits in the Aegean Sea. Reportedly, the