China’s CNOOC and CGN to work together on development of portable marine nuclear reactor

China’s dominant offshore oil and gas producer has teamed up with the nation’s largest nuclear power plant developer to commercialise a new generation of small, portable, nuclear reactors, in a move that would answer Beijing’s call to use innovation to enhance corporate competitiveness.

The development of the small marine nuclear propulsion reactor by China General Nuclear Power, to be deployed to support offshore oil and gas production by China National Offshore Oil Corp, would help lower oil and gas production costs amid a severe energy price slump.

“The research, development and promotion of the small modular nuclear reactor in offshore oil and gas fields will help lower resource development costs,” China National Offshore chairman Yang Hua said in a statement posted on the firm’s website Thursday, adding that cooperation has been ongoing for the past few years.

The two state-owned energy giants will also cooperate on energy conservation technology, natural gas utilisation, off-power grid energy generation and distribution, he said.

China General Nuclear said in a separate statement on Tuesday that industry regulator National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved its application for the ACPR50S marine-use small reactor’s development to be included in the nation’s 13th five-year economic plan.