Expand<\/a><\/p>\nThere is still a possibility of nuclear accidents in America, Gragg said. But they are relatively unlikely, especially with the newer safety technology considered for SMRs.<\/p>\n
NuScale\u2019s SMRs, for example, have been engineered with \u201ca fully passive safety system design that ensures reactors will safely shut down and self-cool indefinitely,\u201d the company\u2019s website says, alongside seven layers of protective structural safety barriers. That company\u2019s SMRs are also designed to be installed underground to protect against aircraft impacts and earthquakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NuScale design,\u201d the company said, \u201cspecifically addresses and eliminates safety issues found in past nuclear energy incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, Gragg said, since nuclear power requires setting off a chain reaction that will continue until stopped, the industry requires redundant safety and security measures, which can add extra costs to running nuclear power plants and SMRs.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we\u2019ve been running our nuclear reactors in the United States for a long time without major issues, so it can be done,\u201d Gragg said. \u201cBut it takes not only triple redundancy and the technologies and the safety features, but also a well-trained workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bluecore\u2019s light water-cooled SMR, meanwhile, is designed to be about five feet in diameter and to be movable. It can be turned off both remotely and on the barge itself, Asante said in an Aug. 4 interview.<\/p>\n
The SMR, the Bluecore founder added, has been subjected to weather and safety tests \u2014 and Bluecore will follow regulatory criteria set out by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s SMR will have three protective barriers to contain the uranium core, two shut-down systems and a passive power cut-off feature.<\/p>\n
The movable barge SMR, Asante said, would create energy that could be used in ships but, perhaps, primarily to power the port or terminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one that\u2019s in the works is a floating nuclear power system,\u201d he said, \u201cso it\u2019s on a barge, and that is distributed to the right locations so you can provide electricity to ports, to data centers, to really anything that\u2019s close to the water, even to the grid itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, Asante added, Bluecore is focusing on developing its SMR to generate electricity to power port operations and vessels \u2014 but is looking forward to potentially different applications in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat same reactor, also, is in the future going to (support) propulsion within cargo ships. It\u2019s the same reactor, the light water reactor we\u2019re designing and building,\u201d Asante said. \u201cThe Navy already uses it for submarines and ships, so there\u2019s already a 70-year safe precedent for doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nuclear submarines have existed since the 1950s, and are powered by a form of SMR technology, according to Stanford University. Instead of generating electricity, though, those reactors are designed for propulsion.<\/p>\n
But in Bluecore\u2019s case, the SMR would still generate electricity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still the same reactor creating electricity. It\u2019s just, where does (the electricity) get distributed? Sometimes to the grid, sometimes to the terminal, cranes, charging stations,\u201d Asante said. \u201cIf it\u2019s in the ship, then that would be distributed to the propulsion mechanisms that allow it to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, even with SMRs, there\u2019s also the issue of radioactive waste, which is created in the process of generating nuclear power. The waste stays radioactive for thousands of years.<\/p>\n
At traditional, large-scale nuclear plants, radioactive waste has historically been kept on site, Gragg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the radioactive waste, right now, is stored on site at the nuclear power plants where it was generated, and that\u2019s whether (or not) the nuclear power plant was decommissioned. Their nuclear waste is still there,\u201d Gragg said. \u201cThe challenges that we\u2019ve seen are not only with finding a place to store it, but also with transporting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transporting radioactive waste, Gragg said, causes some concern that it could leak or spill, and harm people or the environment. Some countries, she added, do radioactive waste reprocessing \u2014 essentially recycling the waste and reusing it in nuclear plants.<\/p>\n
But because of concerns about nuclear proliferation and dirty bombs, Gragg said, reprocessing isn\u2019t permitted in America.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody\u2019s really figured this out for long-term storage,\u201d Gragg said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work and research going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for Bluecore\u2019s SMRs, Asante said, radioactive waste will be a lesser concern \u2014 especially compared to traditional large-scale power plants.<\/p>\n
SMRs only need to be refueled once every couple of years, Asante said, and Bluecore\u2019s reactors will produce a small amount of radioactive waste because of the level and frequency of refueling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a system and compliance (that we are) going to be following that\u2019s federally mandated to make sure that we safely dispose of that waste, and that waste is also very infrequent,\u201d Asante said. \u201cIt\u2019s only once every couple of years, and it\u2019s very tiny. It\u2019s such a small amount because it\u2019s a small modular reactor, not a large industrial plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
New regulatory frontier<\/p>\n
It will likely be quite some time until Bluecore\u2019s SMRs get up and running, however, because the company has only just begun the process of getting approval for their technology from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.<\/p>\n
The NRC has not yet received any applications for maritime nuclear reactor deployment at the Port of Long Beach, NRC spokesperson Prema Chandrathil said on Aug. 7.<\/p>\n
Bluecore, though, is scheduled to meet with the NRC on Monday, Aug. 17, to \u201cintroduce their company, present their regulatory engagement plan and provide a conceptual overview of their design,\u201d according to commission documents.<\/p>\n
The NRC is also working on developing a white paper to specifically address how the commission\u2019s existing regulations and licensing frameworks can be applied to maritime uses of nuclear power, including floating nuclear power plants similar to Bluecore\u2019s SMR.<\/p>\n
The commission held a question-and-answer session on May 14 as an initial step in developing the white paper, Chandrathil said.<\/p>\n
Some questions presented by potential applicants during that Q&A session, according to a May 27 NRC report, included how the agency will be expected to address unique maritime hazards such as sinking, capsizing and other environmental extremes, and how to handle export controls for reactors deployed internationally, among others<\/p>\n
The white paper, Chandrathil said, will aim to address those questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose of this white paper,\u201d Chandrathil said, \u201c(is to) provide prospective applicants with an overview of unique regulatory considerations in maritime nuclear deployments and present current perspectives on flexible, performance-based regulatory approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NRC also recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Coast Guard, which lays out each agency\u2019s responsibilities regarding regulation, licensing and other operational procedures related to civilian maritime nuclear projects.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear, though, how existing statewide regulations may impact Bluecore\u2019s plans down the line. California, in fact, has had a moratorium on new nuclear project developments for the past 50 years.<\/p>\n
The moratorium was approved in 1976, and specifically banned the construction and licensing of new nuclear fission reactors until the federal government comes up with a long-term solution to handle radioactive waste disposal, according to the California Energy Commission.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Assemblymember David Mathis introduced a bill that sought to carve out an exception within the state\u2019s moratorium to develop SMRs. The bill would have also required the California Public Utilities Commission to adopt a plan to procure more electricity generated from nuclear facilities \u2014 but the bill failed in committee.<\/p>\n
The following year, Mathis introduced another bill, which asked the CPUC to conduct a feasibility study about potentially adopting SMR technology in California. That bill also failed.<\/p>\n
The NRC, meanwhile, was unable to provide additional information about how \u2013 or even if \u2013 California\u2019s nuclear moratorium could impact Bluecore\u2019s SMR project at the Port of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
Representatives from the California Energy Commission declined to comment on the nuclear moratorium and how it could impact Bluecore\u2019s SMR project. Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n
But Bluecore\u2019s founder seemed sanguine about the regulatory murkiness between the state and federal governments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pioneers and kind of setting these historic precedents,\u201d Asante said. \u201cFor example, we\u2019re the first nuclear company ever to have a headquarters at the port, and there wasn\u2019t really a precedent for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bluecore, Asante added, worked extensively with the port and federal agencies to get to this point. And now, the company is shifting its focus to working at the state level.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur next chapter now is also spending a lot (of time) with the state of California, who cares very deeply about zero-emission energy, and is very proud to be (a) pioneer in zero emission energy,\u201d Asante said. \u201cWe\u2019re working through the details.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say with the state in particular,\u201d he added, \u201cwe want to make sure we engage very deeply and we care about bringing them on the process along, but it is slightly different than maybe like a land-based solution in its traditional route.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bluecore, Asante said, is also working on community outreach. The company has been reaching out to the community and has had a number of conversations about the plan with members of the public, he said.<\/p>\n
But Miller, the Long Beach resident, wasn\u2019t aware of such public outreach.<\/p>\n
While Miller \u2014 who, besides working for JPL, was also in the IT department at Cal State Long Beach before retiring \u2014 expressed concerns about plans to do testing at the port, he also questioned why more information hadn\u2019t been provided first to the public before launching such a proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m reading about this as being a \u2018done deal,\u2019\u201d he said in a telephone interview. \u201cWhat questions were asked and answered?\u201d<\/p>\n
There seem to be, he added, some \u201cbig red flags.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asante, though, said the plan going forward is to hold more public events at the facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want to make sure we have one-on-ones with the community,\u201d Asante said, noting there\u2019s a broad spectrum of opinions regarding nuclear energy. \u201cI\u2019m here for the entire spectrum (of opinion). The community does not have a unilateral voice, but we\u2019re all aware something needs to be done to create zero-emission energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about the timeline for bringing Bluecore\u2019s SMRs online, Asante said the company\u2019s priority \u201cfirst safety, and then speed after that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time in 50 years, California could see a new nuclear power project, following a landmark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,643,131,133,132,137,100,10650,3359,13880,136],"class_list":["post-435479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-environment","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news","tag-nuclear","tag-port-of-long-beach","tag-renewable-energy","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Port](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786992729_925_LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0725-01.jpg\")
Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba (bottom left) and U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administrator Stephen Carmel (bottom right) sign the first-ever partnership agreement between a port and the U.S. Maritime Administration to advance work on small modular reactor technology for maritime uses. Looking on, back row from left, are Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners President Frank Colonna, BlueCore Energy Founder and CEO Kofi Asante, and American Association of Port Authorities President and CEO Sang Yi. (Photo Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach)<\/p>\n![\"BlueCore](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786992729_704_LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-02.jpg\")
BlueCore Energy, headquartered at the Port of Long Beach. (Photo courtesy BlueCore Technologies)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786992730_140_LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-08_83290d.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
A barge sits at Bluecore Energy (bottom right), headquartered at the Port of Long Beach on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG))<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0802.jpg?w=620\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-08_83290d.jpg?w=620\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-07_a321ce.jpg?w=620\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-07-1.jpg?w=620\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-08.jpg?w=620\"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n![\"Bluecore](\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LPT-L-POLB-NUCLEAR-ENERGY-0809-01.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n