US-based NuScale Power and Prodigy Clean Energy, a Canadian company that designs and develops marine nuclear plants on 14 May announced a second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support business development opportunities for a marine-deployed nuclear generating station powered by the NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR). NuScale Power and Prodigy Clean Energy have been collaborating since 2018, investigating the feasibility of integrating NuScale Power Modules (NPMs) into Prodigy’s Marine Power Station and have completed the conceptual design and economic assessment phases.
John Hopkins, NuScale Power Chairman and CEO said: “Bringing our safe, scalable SMR design together with Prodigy’s Marine Power Stations has the potential to better meet the growing demand for affordable, carbon-free power worldwide, including remote coastal locations and island nations.”
Prodigy specialises in integrating commercial SMRs into marine power plant systems for coastal power generation. Prodigy’s SMR Marine Power Station would be shipyard-fabricated, and marine-transported to its deployment location, where it would be moored in place in sheltered and protected waters at the shoreline. Once berthed, the plant would be connected to the existing shore-side transmission system, avoiding the significant capital costs associated with terrestrial nuclear power plant deployments.
Prodigy’s Marine Power Station coupled with fully factory fabricated NuScale Power Modules will offer a turnkey clean energy solution for customers that is safer, more affordable, mobile, and flexible. This translates to lower costs and shorter schedules in comparison to land-based deployments.
Mathias Trojer, Prodigy Clean Energy CEO noted: “Our combined technologies can generate scalable clean energy at any coastal location. Together, we will rapidly expand the accessibility of safe, zero-emissions, and reliable energy globally, as well as to locations right here in Canada.”
NuScale’s SMR in 2020 became the first and only design to ever receive approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and NuScale said it maintains strong momentum towards the commercialisation of its SMR technology by the end of this decade. NuScale and Fluor are currently working for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) to bring the world’s SMR project to commercialisation.
