Floating 10 MW nuclear reactor proposed for California: barge-mounted SMR aims to power 15,000 homes

Bluecore's floating reactor could power about 15,000 homes near the port California has banned new nuclear reactor construction since 1976 The reactor would sit on a barge leased at Berth 48 The Port of Long Beach is exploring small modular reactors that could eventually supply electricity for port operations and ships.

Bluecore Energy, a startup building compact nuclear reactors meant to operate from floating barges, is leading the proposal.

This marks a potential return of nuclear power development in California after nearly five decades under state restrictions.

A startup's barge-based reactor plan Bluecore has leased space at Berth 48 within the Port of Long Beach, where it intends to develop and test its floating reactor system.

The company's initial system is rated at 10 MWe, a capacity the startup says can scale through pairing multiple units together, an approach which suits continuous port operations partly because individual reactors are designed to run for years on a single fueling cycle.

The port has also signed a cooperation agreement with the US Maritime Administration to help establish safety standards for maritime nuclear power use.

"The company has taken nuclear reactor technology used in power generation and developed a smaller system designed to operate from a barge," said Kofi Asante, founder and CEO of Bluecore.

Asante told CBS News that a single reactor could generate enough electricity to power roughly 15,000 homes.

The proposed system is water-cooled and would generate heat through nuclear fission, similar to conventional nuclear plants on land.

Port officials say nuclear power could eventually supply around-the-clock electricity as cargo operations become increasingly electrified across Long Beach's terminals.

The technology could also extend to ships, data centers , and other coastal facilities located near water access points.

Regulatory hurdles still unresolved California has maintained a moratorium on new nuclear fission reactor construction since 1976, tied to unresolved questions about high-level radioactive waste disposal.

It remains unclear how this long-standing state restriction would apply to Bluecore's proposed floating reactor design.

At the federal level, Bluecore has not yet filed a formal application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for deployment approval.