AsiaShipyards

Samsung Heavy to develop floating nuclear power plants

Photo of Sam Chambers Sam ChambersApril 8, 2022
1 2,122 1 minute read
Seaborg

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) from South Korea and Denmark’s Seaborg have signed a partnership agreement to develop floating nuclear power plants based on Seaborg’s compact molten salt reactor (CMSR) technology. The agreement includes development of hydrogen and ammonia production plants.

The aim of the strategic partnership is to manufacture and sell turn-key power plants, ready to be moored at industrial harbours and connected to the electric grid onshore. An optional solution is to place a hydrogen or ammonia production plant next to the floating nuclear power plant utilising the CO2-free fission energy to produce hydrogen and ammonia.

The floating nuclear power plant design is modular delivering up to 800 MW-electric for a 24-year lifetime.​

“CMSR is a carbon-free energy source that can efficiently respond to climate change issues and is a next-generation technology that meets the vision of Samsung Heavy Industries. In addition, when an abnormal signal occurs inside the reactor, the liquid nuclear fuel, molten salt, is solidified to prevent serious accidents at the source, and provides high safety and high efficiency power and hydrogen production at the same time,” said Jintaek Jeong, president of Samsung Heavy, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders.

In related news, Samsung Heavy has revealed that it has developed an onboard carbon capture system in association with compatriot scrubber manufacturer Panasia, which has recently received an approval in principle from class society Korean Registe, with a view to commercialising the product by 2024.

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Photo of Sam Chambers Sam ChambersApril 8, 2022
1 2,122 1 minute read
Photo of Sam Chambers

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.

Comments

  1. CMSR is a carbon-free energy source

    NOPE, it is not.
    A proper Total Cost Accounting includes ALL of the resources and embedded energy
    Currently all of the materials required to build CMSRs are mined, transported, processed, manufactured
    using fossil-fuel energy
    Even the nuclear fuel bundles are mined, transported, processed, manufactured with fossil-fuel energy.
    While it may be true that no fossil fuels are combusted to produce energy, CMSR cannot be said to be
    a carbon-free energy source

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