Italia per costruire navi a propulsione nucleare per la sua marina.
https://www.themeditelegraph.com/it/shipping/shipyard-and-offshore/2025/03/11/news/fincantieri_folgiero_reattori_nucleari_piu_piccoli_sulle_navi_militari-15046581/
di TheR4zgrizz
12 commenti
“Nuclear power with smaller reactors allows its use not only on submarines and aircraft carriers but also on smaller ships such as cruisers or even frigates. This innovation would make us unique in the world.”
These were the words of Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, speaking at the roundtable “Sustainable Nuclear Energy: Dialogue with the Italian Industry”.
Edit: According to the forum of the Rivista Italiana difesa (RID), in August 2024, the Italian Ministry of Defense awarded a contract to the A.T.S. consortium, led by Fincantieri and including CETENA, Ansaldo Nucleare, and RINA Services, to advance the “Minerva” project. This initiative aims to adapt nuclear technologies for use aboard Italian Navy vessels, both submarines and surface ships.
Interesting move by Fincantieri. Small modular reactors on military ships could be a game-changer for endurance and efficiency, but nuclear tech always comes with challenges, safety, costs, and public perception. If done right, it could push naval innovation forward, but if not, it’s just another expensive experiment. Curious to see how Europe handles this.
Doesn’t seem like the brightest of ideas considering how costly it would be and still the Mediterranean is not getting bigger. If you want to get a global level of presence those ships are too small either way. The only positive I can find is developing the necessary know how.
Also the fact that it would be a unique solution doesn’t mean is a good solution, otherwise we’d see solar panel powered submarines
God help us all.. having alfa romeo reliability throwbacks here
It’s too early to understand what they want to do.
But military vessels are more and more energy costrained, nuclear is the easy solution.
Aha, the wellknown small nuclear reactors that are tested, sold frequently by Western allies, are available soon and come with a guaranteed decades-long supply of (Russian) uranium. Those SMRs, right ?
/s
for those who rather read facts than fiction :
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors
It would be good if they were genuinely small and modular, a reactor in a shipping size container to generate extra electricity for systems and propulsion.
If the mission didn’t need the range or having a nuclear reactor was sensitive, remove the module and rely on diesel generators.
When you need to service or refuel the reactor, again, pull it off the ship and swap in a good one.
Edit – I Googled and options for shipping container sized reactors in the 2 to 5 megawatt range exist (zues nano reactor for a start). A hybrid setup with a constant 5 megawatt base generator from nuclear, and then diesel if you need lots of power or sprint speed, would massively extend range.
Great move!
I must say I think Europe should also revive the concept of « mobile offshore base ».
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_offshore_base
A super large mobile (slowly) concrete runway allowing regular military planes to land on.
It would allow Europe to project force in a different way than the USA with its carriers.
It would allow a better mutualisation of EU air forces.
It would allow to extend Europe relatively small strategic depth (imagine one in the Baltic, one in the Indian Ocean for anti piracy and oil lanes oversight, one in the Pacific in French territorial water and show were are there also).
It would allow great bargaining with local forces. Sending one to support Taiwan wouldn’t be ridiculous as it would also allow Japanese planes to land on etc.
It could act as tender for diesel submarines
It could be amazing for non military operations, even commercial operations (imagine a trade deal with a poorly equipped African nation)
Sending it and seeing it on the way could be a great diplomatic card and new way of escalating pressure
It would be big enough to host multiple different European forces at the same time
It would not cannibalise other military shipbuilding capacities and Europe is the world leader in floating concrete structures. It could be build relatively quickly in large sections with current technology
It would act as a source a pride and identification for EU population
At first, about 1km length would be enough for a400m and Eurofighters to operate from.
Any thoughts?
In a war, a lot of ships are being destroyed. What will happen with that nuclear reactor on the bottom of the sea?
Eh, even the Yanks found nuclear power unsuitable for their smaller ships (bar the Carriers and Subs)
For the ranges and operational areas the Italian Navy tends to go o kinda don’t see the point?
Italy doing everything to not buy already existing french solution. They’ve been acting like US puppet for a long time, and now … because of the actual context and to look less dependent on the US, they still don’t want french NavalGroup technology. At least good news that they stop sending money outside the EU …
Is that a good idea?