LR and Prodigy to work on transportable nuclear power plants

North American developer of marine- and land-based transportable nuclear power plants (TNPPs) Prodigy Clean Energy has joined forces with classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) to complete the development of lifecycle requirements for its TNPPs and start their fabrication by late 2020s.

Through the project backed by C$2.75 million (US$1.9 million) from the Government of Canada, Prodigy aims to produce models for TNPP marine fabrication, marine transport, and centralized decommissioning.

The company has now announced a collaboration with LR to prepare TNPPs for commercial implementation by defining the industrial practices needed and showing how regulatory requirements will be met across critical plant lifecycle phases.

As part of this collaboration, LR will leverage its practices across the maritime, nuclear and offshore industries to create “a novel, but practical power plant lifecycle approach”, ensuring Prodigy’s nuclear power plants meet Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements for nuclear safety, security and safeguards.

The goal is to achieve licensing and deployment for an energy project in Canada in the next five to seven years.

Mark Tipping, LR’s Global Offshore Power To X Director, commented on the collaboration: “This project with Prodigy is notable as it is one of the first to establish guidelines for transportable and floating nuclear power plants. We are developing models based on real-world use cases with specific inputs from end-users, setting a potential global standard. These models will be valuable for sovereign regulators and international marine fabricators as they work to position themselves in the emerging global maritime nuclear energy market.”

According to Prodigy, TNPPs enhance power plant modularity and economics, speed up project schedules, reduce environmental impact and boost the technical and financial viability for SMR deployment in coastal and remote regions.

Specifically, the company is developing two sizes of facilities: the Prodigy Microreactor Power Station TNPP and the SMR Marine Power Station TNPP, which can integrate different sizes and types of nuclear reactors.

As explained, Prodigy’s TNPPs are purpose-designed, marine fabricated buildings qualified to house operating nuclear reactors with all systems and components contained within the TNPP. The power plants are customizable from 1 < MWe < 1,000 gross output, and can be tailored for high-heat applications. They provide solutions across a variety of sectors, including hard-to-abate industries, data centers, heavy industry, clean fuels and hydrogen generation, and grid decarbonization, Prodigy states.

The North American company also noted it is working with a multinational mining company for its first TNPP project, aiming to supply power to a large remote critical minerals cluster in Canada.

As understood, Phase II feasibility studies are underway, which include gathering site and environmental data, performing a prototypical test program, and engagement with the local Indigenous communities. TNPP deployment is designed to offset diesel generation, supplying lower-cost, reliable and carbon-free electricity and heat for up to 60 years.

This project is expected to strengthen upstream and midstream critical minerals value chain activities, and promote economic and infrastructure development in isolated Indigenous communities.

“In a world where demand for more nuclear generation is surging, Prodigy’s transportable nuclear facilities are emerging as missing puzzle pieces to mass customize SMR new builds. The development of our lifecycle requirements has progressed significantly over the past two years, and will benefit greatly from LR’s experience and recommendations,” said Mathias Trojer, President and CEO of Prodigy Clean Energy.