UK maritime nuclear developer CORE POWER and the Port of Corpus Christi Authority in Texas have signed a deal to study whether the US port could host a floating nuclear power plant and routinely receive nuclear-powered commercial ships, according to CORE POWER.
The site-specific maritime nuclear readiness study will run on two tracks, covering floating power generation and the infrastructure required for nuclear-powered vessel calls.
The floating plant work will assess marine and site conditions, water use and discharge, grid connections, customers and offtake, possible locations and mooring arrangements, safety, security, permitting, operations, maintenance and long-term service support.
The vessel track will examine transit and berthing, port-stay safety, cargo interfaces, emergency preparedness, liability, classification and the roles of US and international maritime and nuclear authorities.
The study remains preliminary. It does not select a site, reactor technology or supplier, launch licensing or permitting, commit investment, approve construction or authorise either a floating nuclear plant or nuclear-powered ship calls.
CORE POWER chief executive Mikal Bøe said the port offered a working commercial environment in which floating power and nuclear propulsion could be assessed separately while examining shared infrastructure, regulatory and commercial requirements.
In a separate agreement on 19 August, the port and the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, or MARAD, agreed to explore small modular reactors, resilient port microgrids, shoreside power systems, infrastructure for emerging vessel propulsion technologies and workforce development.
MARAD launched the initiative in May and signed an agreement with California’s Port of Long Beach in June to establish the United States’ first testing area for nuclear-powered vessels.
Corpus Christi customers moved a record 110.3 million tonnes through the ship channel in the first half of 2026, including 66.0 million tonnes of crude oil and 11.5 million tonnes of LNG.
CORE POWER is headquartered in London and has offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo. It is a maritime nuclear systems integrator developing an industrial platform for floating nuclear power plants and nuclear-powered commercial ships.
The Port of Corpus Christi Authority is the Texas port authority party to the collaboration, while MARAD is an agency of the US Department of Transportation.