though, building safe nuclear power takes a great deal of time — something we are pretty much out of when it comes to averting climate change — so putting our climate hopes in nuclear power to save us may be effectively moot.Starting with the obvious, floating nuclear reactors can only be used where there is sufficient water for them to float, so either in the open ocean or in sufficiently wide waterways like large rivers.
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the US territory of Puerto Rico, knocking out power for months in some areas of the island. The problem here wasn't so much that a power plant had been knocked offline for this entire time, but that Maria had torn down powerlines all across the island. in March 2019, almost two full years after Maria had struck the island.
, nuclear expert for Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, in response to the completed construction of the Akademik Lomonosov in 2018.that"these [floating nuclear power stations] have very good potential, creating the conditions for exploring the Arctic shelf and setting up drilling platforms to extract oil and gas. Work in the Arctic is very complicated and dangerous and we should ensure there's a reliable energy supply.
"The floating nuclear power plants will typically be put to use near coastlines and shallow water. Contrary to claims regarding safety, the flat-bottomed hull and the [Akademik Lomonosov]’s lack of self-propulsion makes it particularly vulnerable to tsunamis and cyclones," Greenpeace's Haverkamp said.
At least, until there are accidents, and there will certainly be accidents when you produce a substantial number of these floating nuclear power plants. Flip that proverbial coin a thousand times and the true risk of these floating nuclear power plants will come into much sharper focus than it is now.