Russia Offers Floating Nuclear Plants to India
How’s this for a bad idea: floating nuclear plants. Russia, which has plans to build 11 such plants in its far north in the next few years, is also hoping to export the technology. Last month, Russia pitched the idea to India, reportedly offering to moor Russian-operated nuke plants off the Indian coastline — a plan that would conveniently circumvent international rules that restrict nuclear dealings between the two nations. The floating plants would each generate enough power for a town of 50,000. They would also be far less secure than land-based nuke plants, say critics: Floating nuclear plants would lack major safety features such as high-impact concrete walls, and could be more vulnerable to natural disasters such as monsoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes, as well as to human threats such as terrorist attacks. Enviros also warn that any leaks from floating plants into oceans could spread radiation around the globe.
