WASHINGTON – The next potential nuclear growth sector is moving commercial ships across the ocean, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the head of an international organization said here Wednesday.
Kicking off the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea (ATLAS) initiative, Wright, along with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, said ATLAS initiative will be important to international economic growth and energy security.
Grossi said maritime transport carries over 80% of global goods and foresees that nuclear energy could help bring greater transportation efficiency.
“Nuclear energy is experiencing a very important moment internationally, and we all know it,” Grossi said. “It is an energy that, being an important component of the energy mix of many countries, is gradually becoming a strategic infrastructural essential element globally.”
Over the years, Wright said, ocean shipping has evolved from oil-powered to diesel-powered to natural gas-powered ships. He said he believes that nuclear power would be the next step in that process, and require fewer refueling periods.
Wright also hopes that with nuclear-powered-ships that countries could potentially transport nuclear reactors to other countries that seek nuclear power but do not have any operating.
“I imagine shipping or refueling is maybe every few years,” Wright said during his opening statement. “…Maybe we can have additional power. We can ship faster. The same number of ships can bring more goods. We can lower the cost of trade and transport between nations.”
Along with nuclear-powered-ships, Wright envisions “floating” nuclear power plants that would be deployed at sea. Through the ATLAS initiative and international partnership, Wright said that nations could come together to figure out the logistics of how to operate safely.
Wright acknowledged legal questions remain, but said he is committed to working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, international agencies and other nations to address those legal areas and safely deploy them.
“This is why ATLAS matters,” Wright said. “It is a crucial international forum where we can shape the principles and expectations that will guide the development and operation of civil nuclear-powered ships and floating nuclear power plants.”
Over several months the Donald Trump administration, predominantly through the Department of Transportation, has begun to look into nuclear technologies, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs), for potential maritime applications. DOT has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two U.S. ports to seek further exploration on potential SMR use for maritime activities.
Separately, the NRC and Maritime Minerals Administration have signed a MOU in July that would create a framework to potentially build nuclear reactors on the ocean.
“The United States is encouraging our industry to participate actively, and we hope other member states will do the same,” Wright said. “This ministerial is the beginning of a long effort, but it is an important beginning.”