Ocean Power: Floating Nuclear Power Plants under the Law of the Sea

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Abstract States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are responsible for exploring uses of the ocean that may reduce carbon emissions and the resulting deleterious effects on the marine environment. Nuclear energy is a component of many States’ planning for a low-carbon energy future, yet conventional land-based nuclear reactors have been beset by high costs, lack of access to cooling water, and safety concerns for population centres on land. A floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) is a marine low-carbon energy solution, particularly but not exclusively for use at remote islands and Arctic territories, offers access to nuclear energy, if the marine environmental risks can be controlled. This article explores whether the law of the sea provides a framework for the legally certain and environmentally sound development and deployment of this technology. The law of sea is supplemented by international nuclear energy law.