Maritime energy startup Bluecore Energy has raised $10 million to build portable nuclear reactors on barges. The company aims to provide clean power to ports and surrounding infrastructure through small modular reactors (SMRs) that can be moved by ship.
Kofi Asante, founder of Bluecore, explains that the system heats water to produce steam which drives a generator to generate electricity. These barges could potentially power around 15,000 homes or a major port’s needs, according to his claims. The reactors are water-cooled in a closed-loop and can be refueled every few years.
The startup has already secured necessary equipment including a port terminal, barge, and test reactor pressure vessel. Asante is working closely with regulatory agencies to ensure the safety of its design, embedding multiple layers of redundancy and protection into its reactors.
Bluecore hopes this could help meet increasing data center power demands, allowing centers to operate independently from local resources. Investors include Slauson & Co., Harlem Capital, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, and actor Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Ventures, among others.
