Crowley inks MOU on nuclear power generation ship

The shallow draft nuclear power generation ship would carrying a modular reactor of between 5 and 50 MW [Image: Crowley]

Crowley is teaming with the company that builds the reactors for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear ships, BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT), on a concept nuclear power generation ship with the potential to generate alternative, zero-carbon energy for defense and disaster needs by including a microreactor on board.

An MOU signed by Crowley with BWXT’s Advanced Technologies subsidiary will allow both companies to jointly pursue and develop opportunities relative to the design, engineering and development of new shallow-draft hull ships that will supply small-scale nuclear energy to shoreside locations.

The new ships would feature the latest technology available for factory fabricated microreactors, readily deployed into a shipyard configuration for ease of installation on the vessel. The onboard power plant would supply energy to shore facilities, such as military bases in remote island locations, backup utility grids after disasters, and provide power in other scenarios where traditional electricity sources are damaged or not possible.

The new vessel concept envisions a 378-foot ship that pulls from the logistics and marine capabilities of Crowley, with in-house vessel design by its Crowley Engineering Services, and the nuclear capabilities of BWXT, a leading supplier of nuclear components, fuel and services to the U.S. government at the highest levels of safety and security for more than 60 years.

Both Crowley and BWXT are U.S.-based have been in business for more than a century.

“Our cooperation with BWXT will move Crowley for the first time into the nuclear energy sector, a key part of our commitment to sustainable, alternative energy sources” said Shiju Zacharia, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Government Solutions. “This concept supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal of maintaining U.S. leadership in nuclear energy technology as well as many of the U.S. Department of Defense’s strategic goals for operational energy.

This conventionally-powered nuclear power generation ship would carrying a modular reactor of between 5 and 50 MW that could be activated on arrival at the destination and deactivated and transported after the power supply is discontinued.

Buoyed power delivery cables will enable the ships to deploy energy connections to shore. Shallow draft hulls allow the vessels to maneuver to strategically deliver power for military activities or if disasters limit harbor access.

“We are excited to work alongside Crowley to leverage our ongoing reactor development and demonstration programs, advancing nuclear technology into new and novel markets to deliver zero carbon emissions energy generation to strategic locations,” said Joe Miller, president of BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC.

MICROREACTOR

Back in June last year, BWXT was awarded a Department of Defense contract to build the first advanced nuclear microreactor in the United States. The Project Pele full-scale transportable microreactor prototype will be completed and delivered in 2024 for testing at the Idaho National Laboratory. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) will operate at a power level between 1 and 5 MWe and will be transportable in commercially available shipping containers. It will be powered by TRISO fuel, a specific design of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel that can withstand extreme heat and has very low environmental risks.

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