Authored by Prabhat Ranjan Mishra via Interesting Engineering,
Miniature floating nuclear power plants (FNPP) could help Greek islands by supplying power, according to a new study. Such plants could also help decarbonize Greece's non-interconnected islands, according to the study by the Deon Policy Institute, ABS, Core Power, and Athlos Energy.
A floating nuclear power plant is a nuclear installation in which one or more reactors are integrated into a floating platform or vessel, designed to generate electricity, heat, and, in some cases, potable water through desalination. They are powered by Small Modular Reactors - smaller-capacity reactors designed to be manufactured as standardized units in factory settings and transported to their deployment sites, according to the study.
Deon also highlighted that Greece's extensive coastline and archipelagic geography favor floatingdeployment, enabling generation near demand without permanent land use or competition with renewables, agriculture, or housing.
It's also claimed that FNPPs can replace oil-fired units on non-interconnected islands, support port electrification and coastal hubs without straining the grid, and offer relocation flexibility that limits long-terminfrastructurelock-in.
Deon also emphasized that,as the world's leading maritime power, Greece has a unique comparative advantage.FNPPsleverage shipyard capacity and regulatory expertise, with approximately 75% of total value added associated with the Balance of Plant - areas where the Greek maritime-industrial base already possesses relevant capabilities.
The concept of floating nuclear power plants is not new - the Russian FNPP Akademik Lomonosov has been in commercial operation since 2019, and the sector shares a common technological and regulatory foundation with decades of naval nuclear propulsion experience in military submarines and surface vessels.
"This study shows that FNPPs are not a distant or purely theoretical option for Greece. No fundamental technical or institutional barriers were identified. The real challenge is building the policy, regulatory, financial and social foundations needed for responsible assessment," said George Laskaris, president of the Deon Policy Institute.
It's also claimed that Greece's potential deployment of Floating Nuclear Power Plants (FNPPs) is increasingly viable but remains constrained more by institutional preparedness and political continuity than by technology.
The study claimed that the FNPP technology is considered mature and commercially credible rather than experimental. It also revealed that no major legal or regulatory barriers were identified, and low emissions and limited land use are significant but remain undercommunicated in public discourse.
Source: ZeroHedge News
