Johannesburg – Imagine a growing coastal city where businesses are expanding, ships arrive daily at a busy port, and new industries are creating jobs.
The demand for electricity is rising year after year. Yet reliable power remains one of the biggest obstacles to economic development.
This challenge is familiar across much of Africa.
While electricity access has improved significantly over the past two decades, many regions continue to face power shortages, supply disruptions, and growing pressure on ageing infrastructure.
At the same time, governments are working to expand industrial production, attract investment, and provide reliable energy to rapidly growing populations.
The challenge is particularly visible along Africa’s coastlines.
Ports, industrial zones, mining projects, and densely populated urban centres all require large amounts of electricity.
Supplying that electricity is not always straightforward.
Building long transmission lines from distant generating facilities can be costly and time-consuming.
In some locations, existing grid infrastructure simply cannot keep pace with economic growth.
This is where an unusual idea is beginning to attract attention: bringing the power plant to the coast rather than bringing electricity from hundreds of kilometres away.
Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are advanced units with a capacity of up to 300 MW each.
Their smaller size allows them to serve locations where constructing a large nuclear power plant may not be practical.
They can be deployed individually or combined into larger facilities depending on local energy requirements.
One of the most innovative applications of this technology is the floating power units.
Rather than being built on land, these facilities are installed on specially designed floating platforms and moored near the coastline.
Electricity generated onboard is supplied directly to coastal grids, industrial facilities, ports, or remote communities.
Depending on local needs, floating units can also support district heating and desalination projects.
The concept combines the reliability of nuclear energy with the flexibility of maritime infrastructure.
Because the power unit is built and assembled in controlled industrial conditions before being delivered to its destination, some of the infrastructure challenges associated with large conventional power projects can be reduced.
Africa possesses more than 30 000 kilometres of coastline and some of the world’s fastest-growing urban centres.
Many of the continent’s largest economic hubs are located near the sea, including major ports, manufacturing zones, and resource-processing facilities.
Many of the industries expected to drive Africa’s future growth, from mining and mineral processing to data centres and advanced manufacturing, depend on reliable electricity.
It provides a reliable source of baseload electricity.
Unlike fossil fuel power stations, nuclear plants are not exposed to fluctuations in fuel prices.
Unlike weather-dependent energy sources, they can operate continuously throughout the year.
The power plant itself is located offshore.
For coastal cities and industrial zones where land is scarce or expensive, this allows valuable waterfront space to remain available for economic development rather than energy infrastructure.
Floating power units can support freshwater production through desalination.
For countries facing growing water stress, the ability to produce both electricity and fresh water from the same facility could offer important long-term benefits.
Similar thinking is already emerging in parts of Africa.
Speaking at the Africa Energy Indaba, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, underlined that nuclear power – alongside gas and coal – remains critical for providing stable baseload electricity and supporting the continent’s industrial growth.
He noted that small modular reactors are increasingly viewed as a practical way to deliver reliable, clean and affordable power for countries seeking to expand access to energy while limiting emissions.
Floating nuclear power may sound futuristic, but the technology has already moved beyond the conceptual stage.
The world’s first and only operating floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, developed by Rosatom, has been supplying electricity to the Arctic region of Russia since 2020, demonstrating that floating nuclear generation can function as part of a commercial energy system.
Building on that experience, a new generation of floating power units is being developed for international markets, including operation in tropical climates.
Floating power units will not solve every energy challenge facing Africa.
However, for certain locations they may offer an option worth serious consideration.
Africa’s demand for electricity will continue to grow for decades to come.
Meeting that demand will require a range of technologies and solutions.
Some of them may be built on land. Others, perhaps unexpectedly, may arrive by sea.
