Russia to Build Floating Arctic Nuclear Stations

[babylonsister]

Russia to Build Floating Arctic Nuclear Stations
Environmentalists fear pollution risk as firms try to exploit ocean's untapped oil and gas reserves

by John Vidal in Tromsø, Norway

Russia is planning a fleet of floating and submersible nuclear power stations to exploit Arctic oil and gas reserves, causing widespread alarm among environmentalists.

A prototype floating nuclear power station being constructed at the SevMash shipyard in Severodvinsk is due to be completed next year. Agreement to build a further four was reached between the Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, and the northern Siberian republic of Yakutiya in February.

The 70-megawatt plants, each of which would consist of two reactors on board giant steel platforms, would provide power to Gazprom, the oil firm which is also Russia's biggest company. It would allow Gazprom to power drills needed to exploit some of the remotest oil and gas fields in the world in the Barents and Kara seas. The self-propelled vessels would store their own waste and fuel and would need to be serviced only once every 12 to 14 years.

In addition, designers are known to have developed submarine nuclear-powered drilling rigs that could allow eight wells to be drilled at a time.

Bellona, a leading Scandinavian environmental watchdog group, yesterday condemned the idea of using nuclear power to open the Arctic to oil, gas and mineral production.

"It is highly risky. The risk of a nuclear accident on a floating power plant is increased. The plants' potential impact on the fragile Arctic environment through emissions of radioactivity and heat remains a major concern. If there is an accident, it would be impossible to handle," said Igor Kudrik, a spokesman.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/03-0

[Lasher]

1. Nuclear submarines?

Aren't they essentially floating submersible nuclear stations?

[Auggie]

2. Now that's a disaster waiting to happen

[pscot]

3. That sounds like a really bad idea

They're sure to implement it.

[TankLV]

4. Name rec: SS Cherynoble...

It just screams "SAFETY"!!!

now I can sleep better at night...

I mean, it's not like anything could possibly GO WRONG with this plan...