
Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Glosten has been tapped by global marine nuclear energy solutions provider Core Power for a floating nuclear power plant concept for U.S. seaports.
Glosten said Jan. 29 that it would help Core Power design a barge-based power plant structure that could generate about 175GWh of clean electricity annually.
Glosten also would develop the operational concept and regulatory pathway for the structure, handle site approvals and help put together a network of businesses that could potentially make, assemble, move and install the floating power plants.
“The marine industry has experienced a massive push to decarbonize, and Core Power’s FNPP (floating nuclear power plant) offers an effective and practical means to meet that demand,” Glosten CEO Morgan Fanberg said.
“Glosten’s job is to turn Core Power’s vision into a design that demonstrates the practicality of providing reliable, zero-emissions nuclear power to port facilities and has a defined path to regulatory approval,” he said, adding that Glosten’s team specializes in navigating complex regulatory environments to facilitate alternative energy use.
“We’re taking a very thorough and deliberate approach, making sure we’re performing the necessary risk-based assessments to maximize safety as well as considering the practicalities of implementation,” Fanberg remarked. “In a way, the FNPP is our definition of the perfect project — in terms of what we can provide, but also because of the greater good it stands to achieve. We’re excited to … help the industry progress towards decarbonization.”