For those who are getting this for the first time, welcome to Steward. I use this newsletter to share experiences, ideas, and themes that are not regularly covered in nuclear energy headlines. You can find my past emails here and see real-time global CO2 pollution here.
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First of all, I hope that everyone and their families are staying safe and healthy. Today I’m sharing a presentation that I gave at the beginning of the longest month in human history, aka March 2020. I hope that it can encourage some thinking about the interplay between climate change and human systems.
There are so many interesting conversations right now about how the response to COVID will or will not prepare us for addressing climate change and I’m interested to hear what you all think about this topic. Personally I believe in the words of Dr. Elizabeth Sawin, co-founder and co-director of Climate Interactive:
If you examine a pie chart of global co2 emissions, you’ll see that roughly 2.5% come from maritime shipping (big boats). This is a small sliver but also one that’s deeply interwoven with the global economy: over 90% of everything we buy spends some amount of time on an ocean vessel. The International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency within the United Nations, has set enforceable targets for deep emissions cuts by mid century. “Enforceable” means that shipowners are taking this seriously and scrambling to chart a path away from the heavy fuel oil that the industry primarily runs on. Clean fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and nuclear fission and fusion are all on the table and my current job at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance has allowed me to dive into this topic.
On March 3rd I was invited to Houston by The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) to present to industry leaders on advanced nuclear’s potential to decarbonize maritime shipping. An abridged version of my presentation is copied below and I hope that you find the topic as interesting as I do.
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I want to start out by saying that I have a lot of respect for the people in the maritime industry and the work you do every day. I was born and raised on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts where my friends and I grew up on the water and many of them went on to top maritime colleges throughout the country. I’ve also seen enough facebook videos of the ocean conditions they routinely deal with to really appreciate my job on land as an analyst.
What my friends and I still share — along with everyone in this room — is an understanding that today’s climate challenges require a heightened sense of environmental stewardship. This is the call to action that inspired me to pursue work in nuclear energy and to help chart the direction of the budding advanced nuclear sector.
The Advanced Nuclear Sector
Today the U.S. is graduating the highest number of nuclear engineers in over 40 years. In North America alone, there are more than 70 start-ups and projects within the advanced nuclear space dedicated to bringing this technology into the 21st century. In the past 3 years, Congress has passed landmark bipartisan legislation to support and accelerate these trends. Because nuclear energy emits no carbon or noxious emissions during generation, it is well-suited to the energy needs of this century and beyond. We think it’s time to begin exploring how commercial nuclear power could be used at sea.
The History of Nuclear at Sea
The majority of the world’s existing commercial nuclear power plants use technology that was originally optimized for sea-based applications. The 6 existing nuclear navies belong to the U.S., Russia, China, Great Britain, France, and India. Brazil and South Korea are expected to join this club. There is also a thin but consistent history of commercial maritime nuclear starting in 1962 when the NS Savannah was first launched. Since then, South Korea, Germany, and Russia have all experimented with the concept.
The Potential for Advanced Nuclear at Sea
The attributes of maritime nuclear propulsion explain why this is an attractive fuel option for shipping. Nuclear allows for cogeneration of both electricity and heat with refueling taking place over the timespan of years. Instead of refueling while at port, vessels could in theory SELL their power to local electricity grids. All of this without any emissions and a manageable waste product at the backend.
The first nuclear powered submarine was launched in 1954 and naval propulsion technologies have been continually refined through research and development. In fact the newest U.S. naval vessels use 9th generation reactor technologies compared to the newest land-based commercial nuclear power plants, which are considered 3rd generation. Currently, at least one advanced nuclear vendor is developing a commercially available reactor design and existing naval suppliers could easily adapt their products to the needs of the shipping industry.
Challenges and Opportunities
Commercial nuclear propulsion faces challenges related to regulatory frameworks, economics, liability, and global access. My hope, which is shared by many in the advanced nuclear sector, is that presentations like this can spark conversations about the best way to address those challenges.
When the NS Savannah first launched in 1962, a body of nuclear law was created in the U.S. Atomic Energy Act dedicated to overseeing its operations. Today there would need to be new regulatory language for the use of advanced reactors in shipping mostly focused on how vessels interact with international borders. Work has already begun on this topic for floating nuclear power plants and small mobile nuclear reactors that will be transported by air.
One of my favorite things about the advanced nuclear space is that everyone I work with seems to be doing stuff that’s never been done before. My colleague at NIA is focused on space law and his scope is now extending to maritime law. Currently there is a gap in terms of statutory international shipping laws related to nuclear and most international rules apply to fixed terrestrial plants. We think that customary law would cover most issues or accidents at this point but there are still questions for how this would play out in a commercial setting.
We believe that with the right amount of research, there is a strong economic case to be made for commercial nuclear propulsion using advanced nuclear technologies. We are confident that existing research programs and cost-share schemes could be leveraged to develop a pathway towards viable commercial maritime technologies.
We expect sizable capital costs, licensing costs, and operational costs for training personnel and managing spent fuel. However, we think the economic argument can be made based on the inherent characteristics, low price, and high energy density of nuclear reactor fuels. Refueling would take place in terms of years — not days. IMO exhaust control would in theory not apply to a nuclear-powered ship that does not have emissions. This would also have implications for sailing speeds as nuclear propulsion does not have the same cost efficiency constraints as fossil fuel combustion.
Establishing trade routes between countries that allow for a nuclear reactor in their waters is another critical issue. Like any new technology, this would start incrementally and happen first within the territory of a single country. There is a pathway forward on this when we examine the intersection of America’s largest trade partners and which countries have nuclear navies already.
The US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program advertises the fact that its warships are welcomed in more than 150 ports of call in over 50 foreign countries and dependencies. I’ve been bothering the Navy for a list of these ports and even submitted a FOIA request that was turned down. Fortunately a google search of “USS _____ port of call” will return all the public news articles I need to piece together a workable map, so I expect this will become my quarantine project.
In terms of security, the risk profile of a nuclear-powered shipping vessel would be different and would require input from industry and the nuclear security community to establish best practices. Because countries like Russia are already growing their maritime nuclear industry, some of these practices already exist.
At the Nuclear Innovation Alliance we recognize the amount of work to do on the international regulatory front. We also don’t see it as insurmountable or divergent from pre-existing needs. We see paths forward that include international license harmonization and new forms of advanced reactor licensing that are beginning to be used in the U.S. and Canada.
To close, I would like to say that nuclear provides a technology OPTION. The nuclear industry can meet the shipping industry’s needs but that begins with discussion in order to better understand and design to those needs. Thank you for your time and I look forward to any questions you may have.
