Three companies, Newcleo, Fincantieri and Rina, have signed an agreement to develop mini-nuclear reactors to be installed on board commercial ships to help reduce their carbon footprint, the companies announced on Tuesday, AFP quoted.

According to the terms of the agreement, Anglo-Franco-Italian nuclear start-up Newcleo and Italian companies Fincantieri (shipyards) and Rina (ship certification) have joined forces to “jointly carry out a feasibility study for nuclear applications in the maritime transport sector, in particular for Small Modular Lead Cooled Reactor (SMR) technology.”

This fourth-generation reactor technology, proposed by Newcleo, aims to use nuclear waste as fuel.

“The deployment of Newcleo’s innovative Lead Fast Reactor (LFR) for marine propulsion involves placing a mini-reactor on board ships in the form of a small nuclear battery that produces 30 MW of electricity,” the companies explained in a joint statement.

This equipment will require infrequent refueling (only once every 10-15 years), very limited maintenance, and “light” end-of-life replacement, the partners explain.

A far cry from today’s high-powered nuclear reactors (which are 1,000 MW or more), SMRs are at the center of a global development race, but none have yet materialized.

Using nuclear power to power the ships will help “rapidly decarbonize a sector facing huge fossil fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions,” the companies said, although they did not provide a timeframe.

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