US eyes offshore nuclear reactors

The United States announced a framework for deploying offshore nuclear reactors through a memorandum of understanding between the Department of the Interior's Marine Minerals Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

No commercial U.S. project is currently planned or approved, but floating nuclear power plants are growing interest, with Russia operating the only plant, Akademik Lomonosov.

The framework aims to advance deployment of reactors in the Outer Continental Shelf to strengthen U.S. energy security.

The Trump administration aims to quadruple nuclear energy by 2050, though conservationists like Nick Katkevich at the Center for Biological Diversity expressed alarm over the plan.