While it is still a long way from deployment or regulatory approval, and Long Beach residents will need reassurance about any safety concerns, the startup has already raised $10 million and begun development in a warehouse inside the port. <\/p>\n
Kofi Asante, founder and chief executive of Bluecore Energy said his company is working on a relatively new form of nuclear power created by small modular reactors.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody needs more energy, and there just isn\u2019t enough to go around,\u201d Asante said in an interview. \u201cWe want to democratize access to clean energy and feel like this is a way of being able to do that quickly and safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Bluecore](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787919250_478_.jpeg\")
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Bluecore Energy is headquartered at the Port of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
(Bluecore Energy)<\/p>\n
The Port of Long Beach<\/a> is working toward a goal of doubling its container volume by 2050 \u2014 and eliminating its carbon emissions along the way. <\/p>\n Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba wants to be ready to meet those goals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re giving innovators room to build and test at the port,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cYesterday\u2019s energy system won\u2019t power tomorrow\u2019s port.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know about the project: <\/p>\n What are small modular reactors?<\/p>\n Like traditional nuclear power plants<\/a>, small modular reactors use nuclear fission to generate heat that can be turned into electricity. As the name suggests, a key distinction is their size. <\/p>\n Their small size makes them easier to cool and shut down if issues arise, and they can be built in factories in a fraction of the time it takes to build a full-sized reactor. Meanwhile, their modular nature means they can be joined together. <\/p>\n Roughly 50 companies are working on the small reactors, mostly in the U.S., said Adam Stein, director of nuclear energy and innovation at the Breakthrough Institute. <\/p>\n \u201cBy building them in a factory, we have better quality control, better understanding of the costs and better consistency,\u201d Stein said. <\/p>\n While the Trump administration has been trying to encourage the development of the next generation of nuclear power, no small modular reactors are supplying power to the commercial electric grid in the United States today.<\/p>\n The military is using tiny reactors in aircraft carriers and submarines, and has been for years. This week, the Army unveiled plans to use nuclear microreactors at five military bases<\/a> from New York to Texas. <\/p>\n Would it be safe to put a nuclear plant on the water off Long Beach?<\/p>\n Small modular reactors are tiny compared with the huge nuclear plants \u2014 such as those in Chernobyl and Fukushima \u2014 behind dangerous meltdown scares. <\/p>\n Companies developing them say the smaller plants are much safer to manage. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an incredibly safe record of having reactors that are within ships or submarines, and multiple of them, and they\u2019re all over the world,\u201d Asante said.<\/p>\n Critics say nuclear energy is too expensive and still faces risks from natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods. Alan J. Kuperman, a professor and coordinator of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project<\/a>, told the Associated Press that reactors are uneconomical and his organization is concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons. <\/p>\n The Union of Concerned Scientists also raised flags about safety and security. <\/p>\n \u201cAccidents aren\u2019t the only potential threat to nuclear facilities,\u201d a page on its website<\/a> says. \u201cA successful terrorist attack could kill, sicken, or displace large numbers of people and cause extensive long-term environmental contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n Hacegaba said the project will ensure safety before taking each step.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing can move forward without federal approval<\/a> in a public process,\u201d he said. \u201cThis community has held us accountable on air quality and safety for two decades, and we will keep the public informed.\u201d<\/p>\n What is Bluecore Energy?<\/p>\n The partnership with the port began when Bluecore Energy approached the port to lease space. It envisions putting the reactors on floating barges, which could be anchored miles offshore. <\/p>\n Situating the reactors on water would take pressure off of one of the port\u2019s scarcest resources<\/a> \u2014 land. Undersea cables could carry electricity to the port\u2019s facilities, charging stations and equipment. <\/p>\n Bluecore Energy got its start in January when Asante quit his job at the electric boat company Arc and gathered a team of employees with histories at SpaceX, Rivian, Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy. It unveiled its ambitious plans in Long Beach<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n Asante, 31, served as vice president of business development and expansion at Arc and also spent time as strategy lead at Uber Freight after graduating from Tufts University, where he studied political science and entrepreneurial leadership. <\/p>\n Kofi Asante, founder and CEO of Bluecore Energy.<\/p>\n (Bluecore Energy)<\/p>\n His startup has raised $10 million from investors including Los Angeles-based Slauson & Co., Silicon Valley-based Precursor Ventures and Kevin Hart\u2019s firm Hartbeat Ventures. <\/p>\n Bluecore Energy\u2019s warehouse spans 10,000 square feet at Berth 48. It hopes to eventually develop reactors that could produce the equivalent of 15,000 homes\u2019 worth of electricity.<\/p>\n How soon could this happen?<\/p>\n It will likely be years before Bluecore and other companies in the race to develop the tiny nuclear power plants get approval and a product in the market. <\/p>\n Nuclear power is overseen by several entities. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authority over all commercial nuclear-related technologies, while the Department of Energy can authorize the construction of research and test facilities. <\/p>\n The Environmental Protection Agency has jurisdiction over certain radiation that goes beyond the site boundary of a nuclear facility.<\/p>\n The Coast Guard and the U.S. Maritime Administration are also involved in the port\u2019s partnership with Bluecore Energy. The Port of Long Beach signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Maritime Administration in July. <\/p>\n![\"Kofi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787919250_848_.jpeg\")
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