Russia Launches Floating Nuclear Power Plant; It's Headed To The Arctic
Source: NPR
April 30, 2018
A massive floating nuclear power plant is now making its way toward its final destination at an Arctic port, after Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom launched the controversial craft over the weekend. It's the first nuclear power plant of its kind, Russian officials say.
Called the Akademik Lomonosov, the floating power plant is being towed at a creeping pace out of St. Petersburg, where it was built over the last nine years. It will eventually be brought northward, to Murmansk where its two nuclear reactors will be loaded with nuclear fuel and started up this fall.
From there, the power plant will be pulled to a mooring berth in the Arctic port of Pevek, in far northeast Russia. There, it will be wired into the infrastructure so it can replace an existing nuclear power installment on land.
Critics of the plan include Greenpeace, which recently warned of a "Chernobyl on ice" if Russia's plans to create a fleet of floating nuclear power stations result in a catastrophe.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/30/607088530/russia-launches-floating-nuclear-power-plant-its-headed-to-the-arctic
CincyDem
(6,379 posts)rzemanfl
(29,566 posts)byronius
(7,398 posts)Russia! Still the villain after all these years!
George Patton was right after all.
7962
(11,841 posts)"The Russians killed Patton"
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)Was a bit too much to swallow.
It took effort for me to not shoot and abuse prisoners.
keithbvadu2
(36,869 posts)We already have floating nuclear power plants... subs and aircraft carriers.
angrychair
(8,732 posts)We are the only builders of nuclear powered aircraft carriers and it is undeniably the most successful nuclear program in the world.
NNPI is also some of the most closely held, secret, information in the US Navy or any other military branch.
What the Russians are doing with their floating reactors is nothing like the reactors on US carriers or subs and is extremely dangerous and reckless.
NickB79
(19,257 posts)They've also been running more nuclear icebreakers in the Arctic longer than the US has, and this ship is essentially a larger version of one of those.
angrychair
(8,732 posts)But I have significant concerns given their historical safety record in this area. Second and third world nations, especially those beholden to organized crime, should not be allowed to have floating nuclear power plants.
Not to mention that such operations seem incredibly hard to secure from attack.
Not to mention that nuclear energy is a dead end technology. It incredibly expensive to maintain and creates waste that is dangerous for in excess tens of thousands of years.
JPK
(653 posts)There was a company in the late 70's, Offshore Power Systems. They were going to locate nuclear power plants on the ocean surrounded by concrete barriers. It was a cooperative between Westinghouse and some other company. It almost got off the ground until smarter heads prevailed and the whole thing quietly faded away.
They_Live
(3,239 posts)International waters and all...
hack89
(39,171 posts)Been like that since the 60s.
But that doesn't mean that it is a good idea.
hack89
(39,171 posts)especially considering all the nuclear powers on the Security Council - all five permanent members have nuclear powered ships and submarines.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)That certainly and directly addressed the question...
hack89
(39,171 posts)but it should be somewhat obvious that there are no restrictions on nuclear reactors in international waters given that nuclear powered ships have been a global presence for 70 years with no legal hindrance.
But thanks for dropping by.
BadGimp
(4,017 posts)joshcryer
(62,276 posts)This is only the beginning.
ansible
(1,718 posts)Temperatures there have already warmed so much that russians are complaining their winters are too warm now.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)dembotoz
(16,823 posts)Nitram
(22,845 posts)MGKrebs
(8,138 posts)And there is not much else around there. Are they planning for some growth there? Is that their best access to the Arctic?
It's funny, on Google maps that town shows mostly banks when you zoom in.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)They also will capture & dominate sales of live animals like Orcas. (they already capture plenty.)