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FLOATING NUCLEAR low the threshold on either political or economic conditions. another, and deployed in a third. That raises complex political,

Conversely, the countries that pass the screen combine su? - legal, and regulatory questions.

cient economic capacity with a political framework that could From an investor perspective, the key issue is whether ? oat- support further project development. ing nuclear can become a repeatable infrastructure product

Within the broader group of 75 countries and territories that rather than a bespoke megaproject. If shipyard-based fabri- merit further study, 14 markets form a higher-priority subset, cation, standardization, and modular deployment reduce con- with both economic and political framework scores at or above struction risk, ? oating nuclear could become more attractive 2.0. These countries combine comparatively stronger economic than conventional nuclear in certain markets. That remains to capacity with more favorable political and regulatory condi- be demonstrated at commercial scale.

tions, making them relevant for deeper feasibility assessment, For o? shore companies, however, the delivery model is investor engagement, and project readiness screening. The re- familiar. Floating assets, modular construction, tow-out, o? - sult is therefore not a ? nal investment shortlist but a commer- shore installation, and long-term operations are all part of the cially meaningful funnel including the following countries: sector’s core capabilities. The main question is not whether o Algeria the o? shore industry can build and deploy such platforms. It is o Egypt whether the regulatory, political, and ? nancial ecosystem will o France mature quickly enough to support bankable projects.

o Ghana Overall, ? oating nuclear is worth attention. It may not be- o India come a mass-market solution overnight – however, as the o Indonesia search intensi? es for ? rm, clean, and ? exible energy infrastruc- o Mexico ture, ? oating nuclear has the potential to become one of the o Oman most strategically important new segments in o? shore power.

o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o South Korea o Sweden Sources o United Kingdom 1. International Atomic Energy Agency o Vietnam 2. Nuclear Threat Initiative 3. O? ce of Industry and Competitiveness Analysis,

Commercial Challenges and Investment Questions U.S. International Trade Commission

The case for ? oating nuclear may be strong, but the barriers 4. Lovering, J.R., A. Yip, and T. Nordhaus. 2016. remain substantial. These include nuclear licensing, maritime "Historical Construction Costs of Global Nuclear regulation, physical security, emergency response planning, Power Reactors." Energy Policy 91: 371–382 spent fuel management, insurance, liability regimes, public 5. Nuclear Engineering International acceptance, grid integration and ? nancing capacity. For in- 6. RBC Climate Action Institute ternational deployment, an additional challenge arises – the plant may be built in one country, operated by an entity from a subsidiary of BioMicrobics, Inc.

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