• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.499-505
• /
• 2024

To address the issue of global warming, various regulations and policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are being implemented. In this context, the number of countries targeting carbon neutrality, the latter of which entails reducing net carbon emissions to zero, is increasing, and small modular reactors (SMRs) are investigated extensively as a new model for power plants. SMRs, although measuring only 5%-10% of the size of conventional large nuclear power plants, are highly efficient systems that can generate hundreds of megawatts of power. Compared with fossil fuel-based power plants, SMRs generate less carbon emissions and can complement the unstable energy supply from renewable sources. However, the use of SMRs is opposed by local residents owing to the risk of significant radioactive-material leakage when a nuclear-power-plant accident occurs. Hence, floating, small nuclear-power vessels are being investigated and installed in the ocean, thus simplifying the process of securing land, compensating nearby residents, and increasing safety against natural disasters. In this study, the towing stability of SMR power ships is analyzed, and the result shows no significant risk of towing to the destination in sea states 3, 4, and 5.