TRANSPORTATION | MARITIME POWER
Ruling the waves? In shipping, sail gave way to steam and coal gave way to oil. Lloyd’s Register finds nuclear could transform the industry in the same way
WHILE NUCLEAR PROPULSION HAS LONG been used for submarines, aircraft carriers and icebreakers in the Arctic Sea and a floating nuclear power plant provides power to a site in Russia, civilian marine deployments of nuclear technology have remained scarce. Now though, a new paper from maritime insurer Lloyd’s Register (LR) examines the implications of using nuclear for freight and other shipping with the insurer suggesting the outcome could be new operational and commercial models in the shipping industry. For example, nuclear ships would run for years, without requiring regular stops to access fuel or the need for bunkers to hold it. The cost structure and regulatory controls around operating nuclear reactors suggest new relationships between ship operators and reactor owners. In its ‘Fuel for Thought: Nuclear’ paper, LR said the
need to reduce emissions was driving interest in nuclear from shipping companies. Other decarbonisation options face uncertainty over fuel supply and infrastructure development in the form of fuel stores and transfer equipment in ports worldwide. For example one other option, ‘green methanol’, would be produced using hydrogen from electrolysis or from reforming natural gas with carbon capture and storage. But neither method has proceeded far into commercial deployment, let alone reaching the scale that would make it available at multiple ports.
LR said it is working across the industry on nuclear shipping projects and it expects interest will increase as shipping emissions regulations tighten. Development projects have already been initiated, which bring together shipping companies, shipyards and nuclear engineering companies on development of nuclear-propelled bulk carriers and containerships. LR said, “interest in nuclear propulsion is split between those looking to have assets in the water in the shortest time frame using current technologies – around 2030 – and those working on a longer horizon for deployment of around 20 years who will have a wider range of technologies to consider.” LR added, “The main considerations for shipowners
exploring nuclear power for ships are consistent with other alternative fuels – delivery timelines and cost. An additional factor for nuclear power is social acceptance of the use of nuclear reactors on commercial ships.” The technology readiness level (TRL) of nuclear is one
area to be assessed. But LR adds two more: investment readiness level (IRL) evaluating commercial maturity, considering the financial proposition, industry, supply chain dynamics and market opportunities; and community readiness level (CRL), considering its acceptability and encompassing regulatory, sustainability and community acceptance.
Above: Nuclear powered ice-breakers are a relatively common marine application but there is more scope for nuclear marine propulsion Photo credit: Maximillian cabinet/
Shutterstock.com
44 | October 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
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