Port of Long Beach: Nuclear Shipyard

At General Physics, both our executive leadership and engineering teams see Southern California not just as a logistics hub, but as the foundation for a new era of advanced shipbuilding. The Port of Long Beach—spanning roughly 3,200 acres with 25 miles of waterfront and supporting nearly $100 billion in annual trade—is one of the most strategically important maritime centers in the world . It is here, in Long Beach, that we envision a WEST campus: a 2,500,000 square foot integrated shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing footprint designed to restore industrial capability to California while aligning with next-generation energy and maritime systems.

From an engineering standpoint, this facility is not a traditional shipyard—it is a vertically integrated production ecosystem. Our teams are designing workflows that combine modern steel hull construction with precision fabrication: high-tonnage cranes, automated press brakes, multi-axis CNC machining, robotic welding cells, and additive manufacturing systems working in concert with highly trained human technicians. Two working dry docks anchor the physical infrastructure, enabling parallel vessel construction, refit, and lifecycle servicing. Every process is detail-oriented, digitally modeled, and quality-controlled, reflecting both aerospace-grade tolerances and naval-grade durability.

At the frontier of this effort is the potential integration of advanced nuclear systems. Our leadership is actively evaluating Generation IV small modular reactor (SMR) architectures for maritime propulsion and onboard power—systems that move beyond legacy naval reactors toward safer, more efficient designs. These include passive safety features, reduced waste profiles, and modular construction pathways that align with shipyard manufacturing. From the engineering perspective, the challenge is not theoretical—it is industrial: designing reactor integration into hull structures, thermal systems, shielding, and control systems that meet both maritime and nuclear regulatory standards without compromising performance or scalability.

Regulatory alignment is central to execution. Our operations would be structured in full compliance with the Port of Long Beach governance framework, alongside oversight from the California Coastal Commission, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and nuclear licensing pathways through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Internationally, we anticipate coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency and emerging maritime nuclear frameworks such as the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization (NEMO). This is not optional—it is foundational. Shipbuilding at this level requires adherence to environmental impact reviews, emissions standards, and nuclear design certification processes that are among the most stringent in the world.

Environmental and safety considerations are deeply embedded in both our executive vision and engineering execution. The legacy of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, now an EPA-designated Superfund site with identified groundwater contaminants such as chromium and barium , underscores the importance of doing this correctly. Our approach includes remote handling systems for hazardous materials, closed-loop waste management, and engineered pathways for spent nuclear material removal. We are exploring long-term storage and research integration at the former San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station site, with the possibility of transforming it into a new national laboratory focused on maritime nuclear systems, decommissioning science, and advanced fuel cycles.

Ultimately, this initiative represents more than infrastructure—it is a reindustrialization strategy grounded in precision engineering, regulatory rigor, and long-term energy transformation. From the C-suite to the fabrication floor, we are aligned on one principle: California can once again lead in shipbuilding, not by replicating the past, but by building the most advanced, compliant, and technically sophisticated maritime systems in the world.