SeaTransport chair Stuart Ballantyne says the move will save approximately 5 million liters of diesel per year for developing countries.
Imagine a fleet of nuclear ships patrol and docking at night by the time the vast oceans around Fiji are docked into nearby towns during the day, connected to local power grids, and powering thousands of homes and facilities.
That’s the vision that the Fijian government is embarking on supporting the seas of peace ships, carrying its own mini-reactor, estimated to save billions, reducing pollution from diesel-powered fleets.
Fiji is the first to use micromodular nuclear reactor (MMR) technology to provide electricity to the country, said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
The technology is fed from deployable energy in Houston, Texas, and is initially installed in the ship, the Sea of Peace, but in the future it can be deployed beyond other ships. Queensland’s Sea Transport and Lloyd’s Register are also involved in the project.
The three companies recently signed a formal agreement to develop a 73-meter amphibious vessel designed for remote emergency response and disaster relief duties. They will be deployed throughout the Pacific Ocean.
Impressions of an artist at a marine power plant using a small modular reactor (SMR) manufactured by Genius Clean Energy. Suledysy Sea Transport, Prodigy Clean Energy, Lloyd’s Register.
In Fiji, MMR gradually replaces gasoline imports. Importing gasoline already costs more than $1 billion a year, in addition to the cost of distributing forces to remote areas of the country.
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Microreactors are 100-1,000 times smaller than traditional nuclear reactors, and range in capacity from 1-20 MW.
A 20 MW power source could power the average average western home to around 16,500 western homes, but more homes could benefit from Fiji, as it is likely that use per household at least initially will be lower.
In a statement, Rabka said it was time for the creative use of technology to make Fiji’s life cleaner and power at a lower cost.
“At that point, the first diesel engine will be replaced by an MMR, which will not require refueling for 10 years,” he said.
“MMR power is deployed in the seas of peace vessels and other vessels and can be used for emergency response and long-term power sources to Fijian communities at a much lower cost than current diesel-powered generation.
“All options have been investigated and MMR’s new safe nuclear technology appeared to be within cost and emissions targets.”
Rabka is also revitalizing the local shipbuilding industry to address the lack of skills.
Lautoka’s new shipyard will train steel and aluminum welders, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, drafts, engineers and managers.
By using nuclear fission to generate heat, small modular reactors (SMRS) and micromodular reactors (MMRS) function and are used to generate electricity through steam turbines. The reactor core is surrounded by a thick shield to protect workers and the environment from radiation. The core also contains fuel rods made of uranium or other fissible materials. When the fuel undergoes nuclear fission, it releases energy in the form of heat and then transfers it to a circulating coolant through the reactor. Coolants are water or liquid metals, such as sodium or lead, which absorb heat and transfer to the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is then used to transfer heat to the secondary coolant and generate steam to generate electricity. This image shows the work of a government accountability employee created as part of the person’s official duties. As a US federal government job, this image lies in the public domain of the United States.
Float, plug, play
SeaTransport executive chair Stuart Ballantyne told the Epoch Times that MMR technology has applications across the Pacific and even Arteme Australia.
As for the island nation, simply tying the ships together and connecting them to the grid every night will save you about 5 million liters of diesel a year.
Sea Transport Executive Chairman Stuart Ballantine (L) Fiji Prime Minister Citibeni Rabuka (R). Courtesy Sea Transport.
“What’s already in use in West Africa, installed by Russia, is technology. “When the ship comes in and connects, the converter building is already mounted on a local grid. That makes a lot of sense.
“They had an old coal fired power plant that was at the end of their lifespan. They replaced some old ones and connected them to this floating nuclear power plant. And when that power plant dies, they float and connect another plant in about 30 or 40 years. So it’s very easy.”
There’s no light bulb moment for Australian energy discussion
By comparison, Ballantine was critical of current discourse about Australia’s energy.
“You just stick something on a truck like (an) MMR and have your own little system. (But) what they’re making you do now, what they’re doing in Queensland… you’ll have to pay $25-300 million for renewable energy transmission lines to come out (in the mines).”
It would make the mines out of hand, he said.
“This is the level of Australia’s stupidity at this point, because they don’t even think about anything else at the moment (other than renewables).”
“There are more than 32 countries that use nuclear weapons right now, and another 30 countries, including PNG, are looking seriously, so to be honest, I think they’re leaving New Zealand and Australia behind,” Ballantine said, saying “zero emissions” are hoping for “zero emissions” while ignoring the potential for nuclear weapons.
He believes Australians will support the use of small microreactors, even if the coalition’s large reactors prove to be infeasible.
“The latest poll shows that 82% of Australians want the technology,” claims Ballantine.
He said the current move to implement Net Zero is creating “to bring millions of solar panels and these wind turbines to great wealth for China.”
“Then there’s a massive land of 28,000 kilometres of land on the transmission line. They don’t care about the environment. They’re just bulldozing a lot of things.
New safety features include self-propelled reactors
And the presence of small nuclear reactors floating in the Pacific Ocean should not be the source of concern as safety technology has progressed significantly since the three-mile island and the Fukushima era.
“These new things you’re talking about have one of the US MMR producers to self-present to a depth of about 25 meters on this surface, and at a given latitude and longitude, even if it sinks and the ship explodes.”
