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Worried about all the demand from artificial intelligence making power too expensive? The Port of Long Beach has an answer: little, floating nuclear power plants.
America’s second largest port and its partner are trying to tap into the energy that powers nuclear submarines and build power plants on barges.
The idea is to develop the technology for movable plants that can be floated off the coast and used to power the port and eventually cities.
Last month, the port announced a partnership with startup Bluecore Energy to develop emissions free energy that could one day help power the port’s operations.
Diablo Canyon doesn’t look like a nuclear power plant that’s getting ready to retire.
While it is still a long way from deployment or regulatory approval, and Long Beach residents will need reassurance about any safety concerns, the startup has already raised $10 million and begun development in a warehouse inside the port.
Kofi Asante, founder and chief executive of Bluecore Energy said his company is working on a relatively new form of nuclear power created by small modular reactors.
“Everybody needs more energy, and there just isn’t enough to go around,” Asante said in an interview. “We want to democratize access to clean energy and feel like this is a way of being able to do that quickly and safely.”
The Port of Long Beach is working toward a goal of doubling its container volume by 2050 — and eliminating its carbon emissions along the way.
Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba wants to be ready to meet those goals.
“We’re giving innovators room to build and test at the port,” he said in an interview. “Yesterday’s energy system won’t power tomorrow’s port.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright cited ‘tremendous interest’ among developers of data centers that would buy the power, as well as utilities and energy companies.
Like traditional nuclear power plants, small modular reactors use nuclear fission to generate heat that can be turned into electricity. As the name suggests, a key distinction is their size.
