Russian Energy Firm Presses Forward With World's First Floating Nuclear Power Plant
It's one of those ideas that just sounds wrong: a barge-like floating nuclear plant in the middle of the ocean. But despite its somewhat unconventional approach, a Russian firm we first reported on in 2006 is forging ahead with plans to have the first model ready to begin service in 2012. A floating nuclear plant, as opposed to one on land, has the advantage of being mobile. It can be shuttled between coastal regions like a barge, delivering on-demand power where it's needed most. And, in a country with plenty of experience with the potentially disastrous effects of a meltdown, the benefit of having the reactor at a safe distance from populated areas is a real one. Conversely, there are concerns with how an ocean-borne plant will dispose of its dangerous nuclear waste or secure itself from a potential terrorist attack. When we first reported on...