Floating Nuclear Reactors Could Be Coming To Long Beach Port: Report

LONG BEACH, CA — Nuclear reactors floating on barges could one day help power the Port of Long Beach and even cargo ships under an ambitious plan that would push California into largely uncharted energy territory.

The port is working with the U.S. Maritime Administration to advance small modular reactor technology for maritime use, while startup Bluecore Energy is developing light water-cooled reactors from its headquarters at Berth 48.

If successful, the project could eventually bring new nuclear power generation to California for the first time in 50 years. Critics of small modular reactors contend there is inadequate oversight of issues ranging from safety and security to the processing of nuclear waste created by the reactors.

Bluecore founder and CEO Kofi Asante told the Press-Enterprise that the company is initially focused on reactors that could generate electricity for port operations, terminals, charging stations and vessels. The reactors would sit aboard movable barges, potentially allowing them to supply power to other coastal infrastructure.

The Port of Long Beach and MARAD signed what port officials called a first-of-its-kind partnership in July. The agreement calls for the agencies to work with the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission on safety standards, inspection procedures and operational protocols for small modular reactor (SMR)-powered vessels and other maritime nuclear uses.

“We cannot assume the energy landscape of today will sustain the port in 2050,” Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba told the newspaper.

The technology could help address a major challenge for the port as it seeks to increase cargo volume while moving toward zero-emission operations.

SMRs are smaller nuclear fission reactors designed with components that can be factory-built and assembled in completed sections. Supporters say that could eventually reduce construction costs while providing carbon-free electricity around the clock. But commercially, the technology remains in its infancy.

Stanford University's Understand Energy program says only two SMRs are operating commercially worldwide, in Russia and China, and both experienced longer development timelines and higher costs than expected. No commercial SMR project has broken ground in the United States.

One prominent U.S. effort collapsed in 2023, when NuScale Power and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems terminated plans for a project at Idaho National Laboratory after determining it was unlikely to secure enough subscribers.

The project had also suffered steep cost increases. An analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found estimated construction costs had risen from $5.3 billion to $9.3 billion.

The federal government, however, is pushing aggressively to expand nuclear energy. President Donald Trump signed four nuclear-related executive orders in May 2025, and the Department of Energy in May awarded more than $94 million to eight companies working on advanced light-water SMR deployment, manufacturing and supply-chain projects. Bluecore also faces a complicated regulatory path.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission had received no application for a maritime reactor at the Port of Long Beach as of Aug. 7, according to the Press-Enterprise. Bluecore was scheduled to meet with the commission Monday to introduce the company, outline its regulatory strategy and present a conceptual overview of its design.

California law presents another significant obstacle. The state has restricted construction and licensing of new nuclear fission reactors since 1976 until the federal government implements a long-term solution for radioactive waste. A recent California Energy Commission report says use of SMRs in the state would require either a change in state policy or such a federal solution.

Asante told the newspaper that Bluecore is now engaging with California officials as it navigates those questions. “We’re pioneers and kind of setting these historic precedents,” he said.

For now, no operating nuclear reactor is sitting at the Port of Long Beach, and bringing one online would require years of engineering, licensing and regulatory approvals. However, the port and Bluecore have begun laying the groundwork for something California has not permitted in half a century: a new generation of nuclear power.