Core Power (US), part of UK-based start-up Core Power, has launched a self-funded feasibility study to assess the technical, regulatory and commercial pathways for potentially integrating BWX Technologies (BWXT) mPower small modular reactor (SMR) technology into floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) built in and deployed from shipyards.
This initiative aims to establish a faster, highly standardised, and scalable framework for delivering low-carbon electricity directly to coastal communities and industrial sectors facing severe grid or land limitations.
The BWXT mPower SMR design is structured as a Generation III+ integral pressurised water reactor (iPWR) that integrates the reactor core, steam generators, and control rod drive mechanisms within a single, unified pressure vessel. The mPower design replaces the sweeping pipe networks of traditional nuclear plants with an all-in-one vertical module reducing the overall footprint and addressing major operating risks.
The reactor module stands roughly 23 metres high and spans 4.5 metres in diameter. The system contains 69 shortened versions of industry-standard 17×17 light-water reactor fuel assemblies, enriched to less than 5% uranium-235. The primary coolant relies strictly on highly purified water rather than boric acid. This eliminates complex chemical control systems and mitigates structural corrosion over its 60-year design life. The core is built to operate on a continuous four-year cycle between refuelings.
The design was unveiled in 2009 by Babcock & Wilcox, which partnered with Bechtel in 2010 to form Generation mPower. The project secured funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) SMR cost-share programme in 2012. In 2015, Babcock changed its name to BWX Technologies, relocating its headquarters to Lynchburg, Virginia. It retained the legacy nuclear operations, defence contracts and advanced manufacturing components. The power generation, fossil fuel, and renewable energy segments were spun off into a new entity called Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises.
Shifting market dynamics, a lack of immediate utility buyers, and escalating regulatory costs caused Bechtel and BWXT to cancel the mPower project in 2017. BWXT shelved and preserved the intact engineering archive and physical test assets.
The design has now been revitalised through dual licensing pathways. While Core Power funds feasibility studies to transition the SMR to a shipyard-built, sea-based floating plant framework, Applied Atomics secured exclusive land-based rights to re-engage the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for deployments in the US and Canada
Core Power’s feasibility study will cover baseline information exchange, systems engineering, concept of operations development, product requirements definition, regulatory pathway assessment, marine integration studies and techno-economic analysis.
“We’re building, integrating and deploying ship-based nuclear energy systems that deliver reliable power where industry and nations need it most,” said Core Power CEO Mikal Bøe. “We are focused on commercial delivery, from vessels and infrastructure to kilowatts consumed and industries powered.”
He added: “For Core Power, this assessment of the mPower technology is a significant step in our strategy to accelerate the design of our fully modular floating nuclear power plants…. The United States has the nuclear expertise, the industrial base and the maritime heritage to lead this market. Core Power’s role is to combine those strengths and accelerate the path from technology to product.”
