Lloyd’s Register announced that, at CERAWeek on March 11, Prodigy Clean Energy and Lloyd’s Register (LR) announced a collaboration to complete the development of lifecycle requirements for Prodigy’s Transportable Nuclear Power Plants (TNPPs) to drive deployment in Canada by 2030.
Partially funded by a (CAD) $2,750,000 Government of Canada award to Prodigy under the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Enabling Small Modular Reactor (SMRs) programme, this project will produce models for TNPP marine fabrication, marine transport and centralised decommissioning.
Prodigy and LR expect this collaboration to demonstrate how a country can manufacture, deploy, operate and decommission transportable and floating nuclear power plant technologies without making major changes to sovereign regulatory frameworks.
“In a world where demand for more nuclear generation is surging, Prodigy’s transportable nuclear facilities are emerging as missing puzzle pieces to mass customise SMR new builds. The development of our lifecycle requirements has progressed significantly over the past two years, and will benefit greatly from LR’s experience and recommendations,” said Mathias Trojer, President and CEO of Prodigy Clean Energy.
TNPPs enhance power plant modularity and economics, speed up project schedules, reduce environmental impact and boost the technical and financial viability for SMR deployment in coastal and remote regions. LR and Prodigy are preparing TNPPs for commercial implementation by defining the industrial practices needed and showing how regulatory requirements will be met across critical plant lifecycle phases.
Prodigy is developing two sizes of facilities: the Prodigy Microreactor Power Station TNPP™ and the SMR Marine Power Station TNPP™, which can integrate different sizes and types of nuclear reactors. Prodigy’s TNPPs are not barges with reactors onboard – they are purpose-designed, marine fabricated buildings qualified to house operating nuclear reactors. All systems and components are contained within the TNPP, reducing the need for additional land-based buildings.
By using a dedicated workforce in a marine fabrication factory setting and transporting the entire power plant to site, Prodigy can deliver a new nuclear build in significantly less time and at a more competitive cost, compared to traditional nuclear construction practices. Prodigy’s TNPPs are customisable from 1 < MWe < 1,000 gross output and can be tailored for high-heat applications. They provide solutions across a variety of sectors, including hard-to-abate industries, data centres, heavy industry, clean fuels and hydrogen generation, and grid decarbonisation, ensuring rapid deployment of clean, affordable and firm power. As a world renowned global professional services group, LR is supporting Prodigy in combining best in class practices across the maritime, nuclear and offshore industries to create a novel, but practical power plant lifecycle approach. This will ensure TNPPs meet Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements for nuclear safety, security and safeguards. The goal is to achieve licensing and deployment for an energy project in Canada in the next five to seven years. Prodigy is working with a multinational mining company for its first TNPP project, aiming to supply power to a large remote critical minerals cluster in Canada. Phase II feasibility studies are underway, which include gathering site and environmental data, performing a prototypical test programme, and engagement with the local Indigenous communities. TNPP deployment is designed to offset diesel generation, supplying lower-cost, reliable and carbon-free electricity and heat for up to 60 years. This project will strengthen upstream and midstream critical minerals value chain activities, and promote economic and infrastructure development in isolated Indigenous communities. Given Canada's rich deposits of critical minerals, predominantly located in off-grid regions, a fleet of TNPPs could deliver the necessary clean energy security to enhance the country’s critical minerals resilience. Prodigy is developing a TNPP integrating the Westinghouse eVinci microreactor to address this market.