Collaboration to develop nuclear propulsion systems for emergency response vessels
Queensland, Australia-based vessel design firm Seatransport and Deployable Energy have begun collaborating on the development of nuclear power generation systems for different applications, including strategic response vessels in remote areas.
Using micro modular reactor (MMR) technology, two to five MMRs of 1MWe capacity each will power a 73-metre amphibious vessel, designed for emergency response and disaster relief duties in remote areas. These reactors will enable the vessels to operate for eight to ten years without refuelling, and they can feed power into the shore grid of affected areas and whenever docked at port.
Classification society Lloyd's Register is also participating in the project.
Dr Stuart Ballantyne, Chairman of Seatransport and Baird Maritime columnist, has long been a proponent of the concept of MMRs aboard commercial vessels.
Dr Ballantyne had earlier said that the ability of MMRs to offer a combination of power for propulsion and shore powering makes them "highly attractive for very remote nations."
"The highest national cost component of remote nations even with some hydro and renewables is imported diesel, and it averages US$1 billion per annum for a population of one million," Dr Ballantyne wrote in a previous Baird column. "With MMR manufacturers offering a cost of US$0.35/kWh on a leased base, this is surely the future for low-emission power solutions, is it not?"
