Today in TechRussia takes nuclear power seaward with 8 floating power plants
Russia is putting the finishing touches on the first of 8 new massive floating nuclear power plants. It plans to use the behemoth energy generators in the Arctic ocean to power the search for new oil and natural gas deposits. The reactors are built on giant platforms that resemble huge cargo ships, each one carrying a staggering $336 million price tag.
With its new power plants, Russia hopes to secure as much of the unclaimed Arctic resources as possible, further cementing its position as a major player in world energy resources.
The country is also interested in selling or leasing the power plants to other nations, and has already received interest from China, Indonesia, and Algeria. Currently, only one of the planned fleet exists, so any deals would still be many months or years from being struck.
Japan's recent earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent reactor meltdown has given us a small taste of the ever-present dangers surrounding nuclear power. Some countries, like Germany, took the deadly event as a cue to lessen their dependence on the clean but volatile energy source, even going so far as to eliminate their entire nuclear power plant network over the next decade.
Despite the many apparent dangers that a floating nuclear plant could face (there are literally too many to list), the Russian energy community seems rather confident with its plan. "There's no need to worry about our technology. We have 50 years experience operating nuclear-powered icebreakers in extreme conditions," says a spokesman.
But the concerns with the new plants aren't focused on whether the Russian nuclear operators know what they're doing, it's the unpredictable nature of the Arctic ocean, and the thought of the huge ships falling into the wrong hands, that has people up in arms. Imagine turning on the news to learn that a rogue military group has hijacked a nuclear device the size of a small town? Now that's scary.
Al Jazeera via Grist
[Image credit: Bagalute]
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