So, some cool news! I just read that France (The King of Nuclear Energy) is planning on constructing some nuclear reactors that will be placed underwater. The idea is to test out a prototype by 2016 (work will begin in 2013) and then have several of the reactors up and running to supply electricity to those on land.
The work will be done by a combination of three French companies including the well-known nuclear company Areva. They say that this project is in effort to provide safer reactors that would be less vulnerable to both terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
This is great news for the nuclear industry. As most know, probably the biggest reason for those who do not support nuclear energy is that it is “too dangerous”. However, with possibly being able to put reactors in the water we could reduce those worries. Thus, possibly gaining the nuclear movement more support!
So France is moving the reactors underwater to make them more safe? That might be true in some aspects, but I sure hope they don't have an underwater Chernobyl incident. Even transporting the fuel to the bottom of the ocean has its risks. I would have less reservation about the idea if the reactor was going in a lake somewhere, but the plan is to build it off the coast of France. We all know how much oil in the ocean affects the globe, so I can imagine radioactive pollution of the ocean would be about as bad. Correct me if I'm wrong...
ReplyDeleteYou are not wrong. I never stated that it would make it nuclear energy entirely safe. I meant that it might possibly lessen worries. I am sure that people would be more allowing of nuclear reactors in the ocean where they could not see them rather than seeing them as they pass by them on the way to work.
ReplyDeleteI would think that France and the companies that are going to carry the construction out would already have addressed the issue of safety w.r.t. an underwater reactor vs. and on land one. Although, an accident in the water seems more dangerous than one on land, considering how easily the contaminant could spread. I would like to see more info about it, seems fishy.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to know why they consider an underwater reactor safer. This is really interesting though and I can't wait for more!
ReplyDeleteYep, good discussion. I think when we're talking about safety and nuclear, we have to be as specific as possible. Especially following Deepwater Horizon, this is going to make a lot of people (rightly or wrongly) nervous. Looking forward to follow-up posts.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the fact that they can build a reactor underwater is way cool Second, how will normal day to day operations effect the ocean habitat? I would think that reactor would put out enough heat to drastically effect the temperature in surrounding areas which could lead to a huge shift in the ecosystem.
ReplyDelete