US agencies set framework for possible offshore nuclear reactors

The United States announced on Wednesday that it had created a framework for the possible future deployment of offshore nuclear reactors, as the Trump administration seeks a sharp increase in nuclear energy output.

No commercial US offshore nuclear project is currently planned or approved. Floating nuclear power plants are drawing growing interest, while Russia operates the only such plant now in service, the Akademik Lomonosov, in the country's far east.

The Department of the Interior's Marine Minerals Administration said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to advance deployment of reactors on the Outer Continental Shelf. The area covers 3.2 billion acres off US coastlines under federal jurisdiction.

Matt Giacona, acting director of the Marine Minerals Administration, said submerged reactor systems had been used safely in naval applications for decades and could become a reliable energy source in demanding marine environments. He said the technology could strengthen US energy security in the future.

Jeremy Bowen, director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of Advanced Reactors, said the agreement created a clear framework for how the agencies could work together. He said it could give future applicants more clarity and confidence and support safe, secure and efficient deployment of emerging nuclear technologies.

Nuclear energy has long been used in naval ships and submarines, as well as by icebreakers. The International Atomic Energy Agency says there is also growing interest in how nuclear energy could help decarbonise global energy systems. The source notes that decarbonisation is not a priority for the Trump administration, which has sought to stop offshore wind projects.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Canada, China, Denmark, South Korea, Russia and the United States are working on marine small modular reactor designs, but Russia is currently the only country with an operational one.

The Trump administration has said it aims to quadruple nuclear energy by 2050. Conservationists criticised the offshore reactor announcement. Nick Katkevich, an oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, described nuclear reactors on old oil platforms as one of the administration's worst ideas for ocean life.