SUVA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced on Monday that the government is acquiring and will install a Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) on its Ocean of Peace vessel.
A MMR is a compact, nuclear-based power sources designed for efficient and safe energy production, reported the Fiji Times on Monday.
Rabuka said in a government statement that the time had come for creative approaches to using the latest technology to ensure the goal of making Fijian life cleaner and with ample power to achieve its goals at greatly reduced costs.
He said the Fijian government is working with Lloyds Register of London, Deployable Energy of Houston Texas, and Seatransport of Queensland, to incorporate MMR onto the 73-meter Ocean of Peace vessel.
This will happen as soon as the MMR technology is demonstrated as living up to its cost-saving, emission elimination, and safety goals, said the prime minister.
"At that point, the initial diesel engines would be replaced by an MMR, which would not require refueling for 10 years," he said.
Rabuka also acknowledged that the largest handbrake on the Fiji economy and prosperity is the importation and distribution of diesel for power generation. ■
