As more homes and data centres plug into the grid, tech firms are exploring how nuclear reactors might help. But Blue Energy is taking a different approach – building these reactors in shipyards.

The company’s CEO Jake Jurewicz believes that by returning to the roots of nuclear technology, which was originally designed for submarines, they can streamline construction and lower costs. This method minimises on-site work, moving most processes into a controlled manufacturing environment where automation could potentially reduce expenses further.

Once built, Blue Energy plans to transport the reactors via barge to their final destination. While this limits installation sites, it still allows access to major waterways across continents, making nuclear power more accessible in areas with significant population growth and energy demand.

The startup has raised $380 million for its first project – a 1.5 gigawatt reactor slated for construction in Texas later this year. Key to their funding is the belief that they can make nuclear projects more financially viable through reduced construction costs, which have been a major hurdle in recent decades.

“The crux of the issue with nuclear,” Jurewicz says, “is not the technology but how we get the construction costs down.”