Italian oil company Saipem and British nuclear firm Newcleo have partnered to explore how nuclear power can enhance the environmental sustainability of offshore drilling activities. The collaboration will focus on assessing how Newcleo’s small modular lead-cooled fast reactor (SM-LFR) technology could be used to power and heat Saipem’s offshore projects.
As part of the agreement, the companies will conduct a feasibility study on developing floating nuclear prototypes, to connect these units to the electricity grid or other users. Alessandro Puliti, CEO of Saipem, emphasized that floating offshore plants equipped with compact reactors could mark a new era in zero-emission energy production.
Newcleo’s SM-LFR technology, known for its passive safety systems that leverage natural marine forces, offers greater efficiency compared to conventional nuclear reactors. This initiative could follow the lead of the world’s only existing offshore nuclear plant, located in Russia’s Chukotka region, which powers the town of Pevek with two 35MW reactors.